A Dragon and His Shadow
by ShadowJackal35
Summary: Rin Kazehaya is a mercenary who will do any job for anyone, for the right price, but after a careless mistake of placing one's trust with the wrong person she quickly realizes the importance of choosing sides during a war. Suddenly, she finds her trust with the infamous Date Masamune. Can she really trust him and will she ever get out of his relentless debt cast on her? DateXOC
1. Making Deals with a Dragon

**A Dragon and His Shadow**

**Chapter One – Making Deals with Dragons**

How could this happen? How? How could she have been so foolish; so careless? How was it possible to be in a small army of one hundred men, herself included, and then due to one foolish mistake, be reduced to one; her? _How was it even possible?_

After running through a forest and finally ending up on a river bank, a young woman, only about twenty-three or so, stopped to take a breath. It was all her fault. She had underestimated the opposing army and it cost her own.

She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and panted. Sweat poured down her tired face and plastered comb-straight bangs. She blinked a few times as she stared over her feet and tried catching her breath.

How could she have been so thoughtless?

* * *

_This wasn't the first time Kazehaya Rin had been sent on a job with the aid of her entire army at her back but it would be her first to be in control of so many lives on one battlefield while gambling against the size of the opposing army._

_For the first time in a long one, Rin was actually a little nervous. Her usual confident and laid-back air was only slightly less obnoxious and it was evident that she was uncomfortable with this request. Something just didn't seem right to her, but, a job was a job, and as a mercenary she swore to take on any work no matter who the employer and for no matter what army. She would not take any side but her employer's; nor would she question their reasoning so long as her men were paid for all their work in the end, and so she sought to get this job done like she would any other. _

_Besides that, by the end of this job she and her army would be paid a hefty price and only required that she go after the army commanded by Chōsokabe Motochika. Plus, her employer had already told her that his army would be greatly weakened due to recent skirmishes and should only have about seventy men in condition for battle. If they needed help, reinforcements would be sent, as easy as that._

_It would be a piece of cake for the Crimson Shinigami._

_Or, so she had thought._

_As soon as she arrived though, she sensed something was wrong. The other army didn't have only seventy men left, or even one hundred, it had over four hundred, maybe even more! She had been tricked, and without the needed number of back up, her entire army was slaughtered. Without her even realizing it, she had lost over thirty men as Chōsokabe's army open fired with the Western weaponry they called "guns" and it took all of Rin's strength just to protect herself from the hundreds of bullets shooting through the air._

_They tried holding out as long as they could, "Don't worry!" Rin had called, "The reinforcements will be here any minute!" But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't win against the guns and with a sickening realization Rin finally came to face the truth. There were no reinforcements and they had been left to die._

_"Retreat!" She had yelled desperately, but it was difficult to hear her weakened voice over all the chaos and noise._

_Before she knew it, her men fell down in every direction as blood streamed down their face. She fought to protect her remaining men as well as she could as the rest tried to retreat but she knew she wouldn't be able to win and as the last man fell to his knees, she did the only thing she could do; run. She ran as fast and as far away as possible._

_She only had a few cuts from the enemy units who did join the battlefield, and one bullet lodged in her right shoulder, so she was able to get away and lose her pursuers quickly but the pain she felt growing in her chest was overwhelming and for a moment she thought she wouldn't be able to make it far enough away before she threw down her twin fans in surrender. She almost did too, but her sense for justice and the now desperate need to get revenge for her fallen men kept her going. She couldn't die yet; not until she paid her "employer" back for tricking her and causing the death of all her men._

_Yes, he would pay, and dearly too. She would make sure of it. She would make sure that Akechi Mitsuhide paid with his life, if it was the last thing she'd do._

* * *

Rin fell to her knees as she finally decided to take a break from running. Her body screamed for a rest even though her brain yelled at her to keep going; to keep running until her heart gave out. She placed her hand on her wounded shoulder and glanced at it. She hadn't realized how much blood she had lost before but now, as the effects of adrenaline drained out of her, she realized how badly she needed medical assistance.

She wiped her face with the back of her hand again to see if there were any open cuts and she found it wet. She gently touched her cheeks. Had she been crying? She didn't even notice. She glanced around when the ground in front of her started going fuzzy and it looked like everything was swaying. She felt light-headed and was just about to lie her head down, just for a short rest, when she heard a quiet rustling come from behind her.

Without looking behind, she forced herself to get up. Although she knew how much she wanted death right then, she also knew that she could never have the comfort of peace until she got revenge so even though she wobbled as she got up, she forced herself to continue and to try and face whatever danger that was starting to close in on her. Slowly, she turned around, drawing out her combat knife instead of her twin fans as she glanced around warily.

A man, looking not much older than her and wearing blue coat and a helmet bearing a crescent moon walked out with another man beside him and she grimaced. She knew who they were. She knew _them_ very well.

"Ah, the One-Eyed Dragon and his Right Eye, it's a pleasure to meet you two again," she started sarcastically. "I can't remember the last time I saw you guys in person, oh wait a minute, I actually do; it was yesterday, right?"

"Glad to see you in such a welcoming mood today, Rin-_chan_, and actually, we didn't come alone today," Date Masamune replied with an equal amount of sarcasm as several men also followed behind him. "**_You doing okay?_**" he asked in his other foreign language.

Rin smiled tightly as she replied, "Oh, **_you know_**, just peachy. I lost my entire army and now I'm face-to-face with the biggest **_asshole_** in the country. My day is going by… **_Just great_**." She paused for a minute to try and clear her vision, as it was suddenly getting more and more difficult to see clearly.

Date smirked as he commented, "Looks like you took a beating as well."

"Shut up," Rin suddenly scowled as she spat out, "What do you want, anyways?"

"I was just around the area when I heard a young cry in distress. It sounded an awful lot like a young maiden so I followed the sound and here you were. I must say I'm a bit disappointed but... It looks as though you could use some help."

"No! I don't need _help_ from-" she took a step forward but suddenly her vision went black and she felt herself collapsing to the ground.

* * *

_-Several months earlier-_

_"Date… Masamune?" she asked in slight confusion._

_"Yes. I would like your assistance in forcing his army to retreat a bit, Rinko-chan." Takeda Shingen smiled as he used his nickname for her._

_"Only beat him back? Not defeat him completely?"_

_"No, there will be a time to destroy his army completely but today all I want your men to do is make sure that they retreat before crossing the border. I would help myself or enlist a few of my men under your care, but unfortunately I have matters in the west we have to handle. Are there any other conditions you have to make before we finish?"_

_"No, other than that all my men get paid and that I decide how many and who to take is all I want."_

_"Then alright. You are now in my service for two weeks unless further notified." And with that, the two shook hands._

_"Rin-chan!" called a voice._

_Rin smiled, knowing exactly who it was before even looking. "Yukimura-kun! __**What's up**_?"

_"Oh, uh, nothing really, I guess. I was just wondering what you were doing here today. Did Oyakata-sama hire you for a job?" Yukimura panted as he caught up to the older girl, finally grinning childishly when she smiled at him._

_"Yes, actually, for two weeks. Though I don't think I'll be seeing you much since I'll be heading east tomorrow."_

_"Oh, I see then…" Yukimura looked down at his side, slightly disappointed and Rin smiled in what she thought in a mature sort of way. He reminded her of her younger sister, only as a little brother instead, even though there wasn't much of an age difference between her and him._

_She'd known Yukimura for a long time now… How long, she wasn't quite sure, but long enough to easily tell anyone that he meant more to her as a brother than anything else._

_She reached over and ruffled his hair as she said, "Well, I have to go gather my men and prepare for tomorrow. __**See you later**__, Yukimura-kun."_

_"Ah, by the way, Rin-chan!" Yukimura called and Rin paused to look back at him._

_"Yes?" she asked._

_"Er… Well… I was wondering whether… Um…" Yukimura swallowed as he tried forcing his words out and a sudden blush crept over his cheeks._

_"Yes?" Rin asked again, encouragingly._

_"I was wondering whether you… You wanted to… Er… With me…" he cleared his throat before finally spitting out, "Dango!"_

_Rin blinked in surprise at first, but then she laughed when she realized what Yukimura had been trying to say. She started walking away again as she called teasingly, "I'll think about it. See ya."_

_-The next day-_

_"So, Date Masamune, we meet at last. You know, I've been wanting to fight you for a long time now, I just didn't have the proper excuse until this moment." Rin drew her twin fans out from the holsters sewn onto the back of her belt as she smiled. She had that certain glint in her eye as she always did when anticipating an especially difficult opponent and it seemed to amuse the young daimyo._

_"Kazehaya Rin, eh? I've heard a lot about you. The legendary Crimson Shinigami, said to have a quota of lives she needs to take every day so high that by the end of each battle her own skin turns red and her normally white clothes dyed crimson. A ruthless witch, really." Date smirked, not bothering to draw his weapon yet. "You know, when I heard the name, I always assumed someone stronger… Bigger, __**you know what I mean**__?"_

_Rin scowled as she said, "I'll make you eat those words and then you'll see that I'm not called the Crimson Shinigami for nothing!" with that she attacked. She lunged forward, throwing her left arm through first while opening her golden fan. Date managed to block the attack easily with one katana as he smiled._

_"__**Is that all you've got**__?" he asked, speaking tauntingly in English._

_"Nope," Rin replied, she threw her right arm under his sword, jabbing him in the gut with her other fan which forced him to move back a bit. While he was still moving backward she threw a quick side kick, which pushed him back even further. "__**I'm just getting started**__."_

* * *

That was the first time they met, as Rin remembered, and it wasn't the last before hundreds of other encounters and many other one-on-one fighting. Some battles she thought she could feel a hint of familiarity between the two, but on other days it was only a pure lust for battle. The two fought like old friends, but at the same time gave it everything they got. If one didn't know any better, they would say that Rin were the female counterpart of Date, or at least his rival but if asked, Rin would probably only give a half shrug and wave it off. After all, she usually left the fighting between him and Yukimura whenever the chance arose.

_An odd memory to resurface after just coming out of an unconscious state. _Rin stared up at the ceiling of the room she was in as she thought; the last events before she had passed out suddenly resurfacing. The tears poured out of her eyes without warning and she choked back a sob and smothered her mouth with her hands, as if forcing back the noise. Her army was gone and now she was all alone... She grit her teeth in frustration as she chastised herself _Crying again? Is that all you can do? Maybe Date was right to think the Crimson Shinigami would be someone stronger... _Rin turned her head from side to side to shake the tears off and looked around, now realizing that she had just woken up in a new place entirely.

Instead of the previous riverside-forest scenery she remembered being in last she found herself in a small room under a few blankets with a small courtyard to her left as a view. She turned onto her stomach and tried pushing herself up but grimaced as her arm crumbled under the weight of her body. _Oh yeah, that's right… I got shot in the arm… How long ago? _She tried pushing herself up again with her opposite arm this time and just when she almost thought she could make it she heard the sliding door open to her right.

"I see you're awake, Crimson Shinigami."

Rin barely glanced at Date, suddenly finding the need to sit up more important. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking? I mean, what if I was getting dressed or something and you entered while I was naked?"

Masamune snickered as he said "I doubt I'd be seeing anything worth much. Most women who battle don't."

Rin threw a quick glare at him. "Yeah, well…" she couldn't think of a satisfying retort so only managed half-heartedly, "Help me sit up, will you?"

Date smirked again as he held her under the arms to pull her into a sitting position. His hands only lingered slightly and Rin thought she imagined it. She shook her head in disgust with herself and busied herself with getting comfortable. Once she was settled she asked, "So out with it, why did you help me?"

"My sense of justice told me to help a young girl in distress." Date replied immediately, seating himself next to her.

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, **_right_**. So what's the real reason?"

"**_Hm_**…" Date thought about answering truthfully that he had recently been visited by Maeda Keiji in the attempt to get him to join a group rebellion against Oda Nobunaga, but as an afterthought, decided against it. Instead he only said vaguely, "Things are getting a little **_heated _**around here with the Devil King running around… I only thought that, maybe, you could use some help."

Rin rolled her eyes and muttered, "Sure, sure…"

"There's the additional problem of Akechi Mitsuhide."

Rin tensed upon hearing that last name as she asked, "And?"

"Well, I figured since your last employer didn't pay you for a '**_job well done_**', you'd be in need of a contract."

"You're hiring me?" she questioned unbelievingly.

He shrugged nonchalantly, "I guess. As flat chested as you may be, you are quite competent on the battle field and we could always use another soldier. Or at least some **_eye candy_**," he teased and she glared at him.

"_Men_…" she muttered bitterly under her breath and he laughed.

"I also figured that since you botched your last job, you didn't get paid so by offering me your services you can pay off my hospitality."

"What?" she asked in disbelief, "You're joking, right?"

He laughed, "Of course. Forget it. Like I said, you don't have any money anyways."

He got up and started heading towards the door when Rin called, "Wait! You're right. … I do need to repay you for what you've done, and so I will."

"Huh? How?" he crossed his arms casually and reminded her, "You just lost your entire army and your previous employer basically fired you. Or, had someone fire _at_ you."

"What I can't pay you in money, I'll pay you with my body."

She had a look of complete seriousness on her face so Date held in a laugh and asked in amusement, "Oh? And what if I don't want it? I mean, what could a scrawny chick like you do to satisfy me?" he smirked and Rin blushed when she understood the meaning.

"I meant that I'd work for you and do any of the jobs you want me to do without complaint," she mumbled as she averted her eyes in embarrassment. "I will even offer to be your shield if you ever need one, and I will work hard to serve under you as your own personal guard. I'll work as your shadow, so to speak, so get those perverted ideas out of your head, **_stupid_**."

Date laughed loudly this time, "Well **_alright_** then, though, to be honest, I have Kojuro for that." He slid open the door and then paused, "By the way, who _was_ your last employer?"

Rin looked outside to her left and mumbled, "Akechi Mitsuhide. I have a score to settle with him."

"Huh, so do I."

Rin looked back over to look at Date, but he was already gone.

_So we have a common enemy here... That will definitely prove helpful for my quest of revenge. Hm… Things will certainly get more interesting from this point on. _Rin thought, before finally settling back down on her back, and taking a long, restless sleep. _Don't worry men… You guys… I will avenge your deaths. I promise._

* * *

A/N: alright guys! It's been awhile since I last posted/wrote anything for anything and I just recently finished watching the anime series Sengoku Basara after playing the video game Devil Kings (or, technically the original Sengoku Basara tampered by Americans (we're so silly that way!) I literally watched the whole anime series from 9:30 in the morning to 2:30 in the afternoon (my butt really hurt afterwards D:). Yeah, that's what I do after just getting out of school on the first day of summer vacation.

Typical weeaboo.

Anywho, I always seem to go for the cool, laid-back, slightly douche bag-ish/pewpie male characters and I guess Date Masamune kind of falls under that category (more so in the anime than the game) and so here is my contribution to the Sengoku Basara fanficdom. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope I find the motivation to keep writing for this series! ... Among other things.

Oh yeah, and if you haven't guessed already, **bold **and _italicized _words are words spoken in English. It's a common recurring trait in these fanfics for Date (or at least the 3 or 4 I've read), but hey, **_I had no idea what else I could use to differentiate the stuff. _**Date is one strange dude.

Which is why I love him.

_Also, _(sorry for making this author's note so ridiculously long, I wasn't planning on explaining so much!) this story kind of interchanges between video game events (were there really any though anyways?) and the anime and because history in fanfic is interchangeable, I'm taking advantage of it and gonna screw it's brains out with typical OC crap like I always do.

Typical weeaboo.

Thank you!

ありがとう!

- Jackal


	2. Getting Guidance from a Dragon

**Chapter ****Two – Getting Guidance from a Dragon**

"_Rin-sama! … RIN-SAMA?"_

_Rin sighed in content as she continued staring at the sky, without a care in the world. Her army had successfully pulled off another job and she was waiting for one of her most trusted subordinates to return with the next one. She smiled faintly until a girl's young face peered into hers. "Rin-sama!" she scolded._

"_Heh? W-what, what do you want?" she asked in alarm as she jolted out of her cataclysmic state. She sighed when she saw the impatient and suddenly reprimanding figure of Maka, said 'trusted' subordinate. "Oh… Sorry Maka, I didn't realize you were calling me."_

"_What? How could you not?" Maka asked in disbelief, "I've been calling you for over five minutes… And here you were just sitting around." She shook her head curtly and chastised, "Really Rin-sama, you should be more wary of your surroundings."_

"_Yeah, yeah…" Rin rubbed the back of her neck slowly and asked irritably, "Now, were you here to tell me something important or just ruin my afternoon?"_

"_My apologies," Maka said somewhat sarcastically, "but you're needed by the chief of this village, Chief Otagawa?" She asked the last part questioningly because she was unsure whether her leader actually knew who they were currently working under. With Rin, it was hard to tell._

"_Feh… **alright then**. **See you later**, Maka," Rin got up and stretched quickly before walking off confidently in the direction she was going._

"_Um… Rin-sama?"_

"_What?"_

"_You're going the wrong way."_

* * *

"Oh no… This, this couldn't have happened. How could this _happen_?" A girl with bright maroon hair pinned up in two buns stared at the battleground before her. Men wearing black and white clothes were littered all over the area, but the only one she was really focusing on was in his twenties and had several bullet holes visible on his body. His eyes were open in a blank, empty stare. He was dead.

Her older brother was dead.

"KAZEHAYA RIIIIN!" she yelled to the sky. "How could you do this? How could you let this happen?!" she looked around but didn't find her former leader's body and could only concluded that she had either survived or wandered off and died somewhere else.

There was a faint trail of footprints with a slight indention at the heels that lead off in another direction so the girl followed it. The prints were spaced pretty far apart which meant that its creator had been running. _For her life, _Maka thought bitterly.

Further out they weren't as spaced apart and dried blood had landed near some of the prints. Finally they ended at the bank of a river but there wasn't a body to be seen. _So someone must have taken her somewhere..._The girl decided and she scowled. She walked back to where the battle had taken place and sat down beside her brother again.

_I can't believe her! How dare she survive when all these good people died for her? I will never forgive her! For tricking me, my brother; for everyone dear to me and stabbing them all in the back! For allowing them to all die so easily like this! Kazehaya will pay for the deaths of everyone who worked under her._

Maka brushed her eyes with the back of her hand as she sat in the middle of all the carnage that had previously taken place there. She glanced at her brother and his lifeless gaze thinking morosely, _But, the only problem is that I wouldn't stand a chance fighting against her. Maybe… I need to find him. Her brother._

_Kazehaya Kaito._

She reached over to her brother's face and closed his eyes as she stood up and strapped his sword to her hip. She jumped onto the branch of a nearby tree and jumped as quickly as she could from tree to tree. _Don't worry everyone, I will avenge your deaths soon, by taking out the source that caused all your pain._

_I will kill Kazehaya Rin for you. The Crimson Shinigami will die; you can bet on it._

* * *

Miles away, a young woman sat by herself in the midst of a small clearing of trees. Kazehaya Rin, former leader of the Crimson Shinigami Army, sat… And thought. It has been three weeks since she lost her army and she was still recovering from her bullet wound. Slowly but surely, she managed to walk around the area and regain the mobility in her arm.

Though the doctors were able to remove the bullet ages ago, it still felt somewhat stiff and she was eager for it to be completely healed soon. She figured it would only take another two days or so, but then again, what did she know about medical work?

She sighed… Just another slow paced day at Date manor by herself... And her nagging memories. _I wonder… What would it be like now if I hadn't taken that job…Would Riku and Hiro still be arguing over who was the better fighter? Would Maka still act as the mother of our army? _Rin stared into the waters of the small pond she found on Date clan land and sighed again. _I've been here for two weeks now, or has it been more, counting the days I was passed out for? … And I've made no progress towards getting my revenge… At all…_

She threw a piece of the bread she had for the lone duck swimming in the pond. Her only companion.

_You would think I'd be used to this place by now but…_

* * *

_-Earlier-_

_Three days after her awakening Rin was allowed to walk around her new 'home' and not too much longer after that was she allowed to train. At that point, Date Masamune had only recently arrived at Takeda manor, soon after Katakura and Yukimura brought him back, unconscious, but still alive. He had been lucky to survive Oda Nobunaga's harquebus group the previous afternoon, unlike Azai Nagamasa…_

_He was already up and about only a week later and went back to a more normal schedule between resting and training. The case of his missing men was already resolved and for now the plan was to lay low until further notice. Rin hadn't joined them on either trip due to her recovering arm, but it turned out it didn't matter anyways as the army had returned to Date's manor only days later, to gain reinforcements and saying they would keep a correspondence between the Takeda and Uesugi army._

_When her arm healed and Date felt better after his own bullet wound, they would return to Takeda's territory and discuss the next battle plan._

_Although the doctors at Date's manor had managed to get the bullet out of her shoulder while she was unconscious days ago, Rin was still just making use of her renewed right arm when she heard the voices of other soldiers walking by. She was standing just behind a sakura tree and was about to leave when she heard:_

"_Hey, have you seen our newest recruit?" said one man._

"_Kazehaya, right?" said a second man._

"_Yeah, have you heard the rumors about her?"_

"_Only a few, though there are so many of them, it's hard to tell which one you mean."_

_"Her? I could have sworn they were a man…"_

"_I can't believe Date-sama allowed such a snake into our army. I mean, what if she tried betraying us like her own army?" came a third voice._

"_She must've done something nasty to get him to allow her in."_

"_As if Date-sama would fall for dirty tricks like those, it must be that she-" The man speaking previously barely had time to finish his sentence before he found a knife lodged into the wall in front of him only inches away from his head._

"**_Sorry._**_" Rin said, not sounding apologetic at all as she stepped out from behind the tree. "I'm still getting used to my right arm again." she walked up to them calmly and pulled the knife out, placing it into the pocket she had sewn on the inside of her left sleeve on the white kimono she wore. She wore it with the black hakama she had found in one of the clothing stocks around the manor. She would have preferred something else to wear, as a hakama is traditionally men's clothing but she had no choice and soon she became adjusted to the new fact that until she earned some money she would have to stick to wearing clothes out of charity, despite the masculinity._

"_N-no problem," stammered the other man._

_Afer making sure the knife was secure in its pocket, Rin turned to face him and asked, "You are Oremoto Masashi-san, correct?"_

"_H-how did you-"_

"_Rumors fly around well behind the walls of Date manor and even reach new recruits' ears such as myself. How is your wife? Still getting over the fact that you slept with a cheap whore during the last party or does she not know yet?"_

"_Shut up!" he yelled suddenly, his face turning red. "What would you know? You're just a whore yourself, sleeping with the boss to worm your way into an elite army-" again, before he could complete his sentence Rin interrupted him. In one fluid motion she had grabbed him by the collar of his hakama and slammed him into the wall, while at the same time drawing her knife from her sleeve and then pressing it scarily close to his throat._

_His other friends could only watch in mute horror as Rin said in a dangerously calm voice, "Better watch what you say around me. I might accidentally miss the enemy on the battlefield like I did that tree just now and strike you. If that happened, you wouldn't even have enough time to say 'sorry'."_

_Oremoto gulped and laughed nervously, "Feh, as if. You speak empty threats. Don't forget, you may have gotten into this army through cheap tricks, but I'm still your commander, and I happen to have a very good relationship with Date-sama, so I wouldn't be pushing your luck with me."_

_He smirked in triumph but Rin didn't waver as she slammed him into the wall again and replied, "What's your point? I don't give a damn what you tell Date about me. You and he can both **go to hell** for all I care; tattling on me won't do a thing. If I took you out, Date probably wouldn't even blink twice. A worthless commander such as yourself doesn't even deserve the title you have now."_

_Oremoto gulped and finally Rin threw him so he landed painfully on his side. Rin towered over him as she glared and said, "You may have the upper hand in relations here, but I have the upper hand on the battle field. **Remember that.**" She walked off after that, just brushing past a silent Katakura and listening to the commander walk off with his friends, his profanity still audible from a mile away._

* * *

Rin sighed again, as she recounted her first encounter with Date's army. From there it had only gone downhill. Offenses ranged from mild profanity to abuse to her personal items. As lonely as Rin felt though, she couldn't help but welcome it from time to time. At the same time, although she preferred isolation these days, it being the only time she had to mourn for her army and recount the memories they had shared, sometimes she was glad that her 'comrades' distracted her. Especially when her thoughts became too unbearable.

It was hard either way, to be completely honest.

"I hate this place… Or at least the people in it." Rin muttered as she sat on the edge of the small pond. She had to admit though, Oshu was a pretty profitable place. As much as she hated his men, she liked Date's manor, and she could tell that Date Masamune had a strong hold over his domain. It was large and the grounds seemed to stretch for miles around, probably because they did. Only recently had she found this secret pond with cherry trees surrounding it. The trees were like a protective wall hiding a magic forest and although she never liked admitting it, she had quite the soft-spot for 'magic'.

It was the only place she found that she could go without thinking of bad memories or asshole-ish comrades. "I wonder how Date is…" she finally murmured, the young daimyo suddenly coming to mind.

During her stay at the manor, his retainer was scarce and Date had made himself even more so as he recovered. She had seen Katakura only a few times and managed to talk to him some days but only caught glimpses of Date every now and then, usually from far away. Not that she was looking for him, of course! She had to remind herself… _No… _She was definitely not interested in looking _or _finding Masamune. She was just… Hoping to see a familiar face among the belligerent crowd.

_Right… A familiar face…That's all._

She threw another piece of bread she had for the duck. The duck quacked loudly until another one, only slightly bigger, flew in.

"Well, don't you look spaced out, I didn't know that even killer ladies such as yourself had_** cute**_ sides as well," came an obnoxiously familiar voice. Rin didn't even have to turn around to recognize it. _Speak of the devil, _she thought with a sigh.

"Date. Is something the matter?" Rin asked without looking away from the water's edge. She wasn't aware that anyone else knew about this place, _but_, she supposed, _Date does own the place, so naturally he would know the whole area…_

There goes her secret hiding place.

"No, just commenting on how **_weird_** you look right now." She glanced at him then and noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual iconic helmet today or even his typical armor at all. Instead he was wearing a blue hakama and carried only one katana leaned on his shoulder.

It was the first time she had ever seen him look so casual and she couldn't help but blush. To avoid her face getting any redder and giving her away, she looked back at the water muttering, "Huh? I look weird?"

"Not any more than usual, **_really_**."

"Well thanks, **_jerk_**."

He chuckled as they watched the ducks float around peacefully together in their pond. "So it looks like you found my secret training area."

"Your training area?"

"Yup, not many people bother walking this far out from the manor, so I come here sometimes. It's good because I'm pretty sure no one knows about it so I can have some peace by myself. I think only me and Kojuro know about it. And you, of course."

"I didn't think you needed training," Rin commented childishly.

"Weell, as great as I am, even I need to work on things from time to time." He grinned obnoxiously and Rin rolled her eyes.

"Don't flatter yourself…" she muttered.

Date laughed and sat down as beside her as he said, "So, are you **_ready to go_**?"

"Where?" she asked with a slight jump as he watched the pond with her quietly.

His sudden nearness made her slightly nervous all of a sudden and she felt the need to move for some reason. _Calm down, he's only sitting here, _she commanded sternly to herself. She clenched her fists and tightened her form to stop her jitteriness.

Her superior sighed loudly and said with mock anxiety, "You know, you should really stop spacing out during meetings or at least _try_ to act like you're a part of this army. You've been here for over three weeks and yet you still act like you're one against the world. **_You know_**?"

"Like _you_ can talk?" Rin blushed as she realized how rude her previous statement sounded, "Er... Wait… I didn't mean it like that. Sorry… It's just…" she hesitated before saying in a rush, "Ever since my last job I… Haven't been able to deal with myself. You have no idea what it's like to lose your entire army in just one battle."

"No, I don't," he agreed calmly, "but I do know that sulking around and not paying attention to what matters most in the present is not the right thing to do about it."

"Shut up!" Rin scowled as she stood up abruptly. Suddenly the air felt tense as Rin got angrier. "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"And like you do?" Date asked, getting up as well.

"What?..." she asked, calming down slightly.

"Tch," Date turned away from her and started walking away but stopped to say, "I'm sorry about your army, but right now _we're_ your army and I'm your leader, and I say that if you aren't prepared to take the deaths of men on your conscious _and_ focus on your current work at the same time you aren't ready for war. Get out while you still can. Now isn't the time to sulk around, not until everything is right because if you do you're just going to end up getting hurt. **_You see_**?" He continued walking away and Rin glared at his back.

Rin glanced at the ducks, still floating around the pond until the bigger one started swimming away. The smaller one squawked and began swimming after it and suddenly she got the idea. "I can't believe I'm taking advice from ducks…" she muttered to herself, then shouted, "Wait, Date!"

He stopped and turned to look at her as she caught up to him. "I- you- …" she bit her lip and looked away as she faltered. Finally she sighed and mumbled, "I'm sorry. You're right, I shouldn't be so selfish." She blushed as she said hurriedly, "I know I should be focusing on my work now, I mean, you were kind enough to give me a job at all and a chance to get back on my feet."

She looked away and said softly, "It's just that all those men put their trust in me. They banded together and worked under me because they believed I would be able to stop this war; that I would make a change and I just feel like I betrayed all their trust by not choosing a good side to work together with. As a mercenary, we worked jobs for every army; we made enemies with everyone and I put their lives in even more danger. I wasted their lives and didn't just go after the main goal of getting peace right away. I must have been… A terrible leader." She looked back at the pond as she felt her heart clench. It was harder to talk about than she thought. Her eyes glazed over and she bit her bottom lip to try and stop any tears that threatened to fall out.

They were both quiet and Date looked back towards the pond as the ducks began quacking to each other. The bigger one swam closer to the smaller one and they began swimming with each other calmly again. "Hmph, well, don't let _them_ hear you say that," he finally said.

"Huh?... Who?" Rin glanced up at him.

"Your army," he clarified. "If they heard you beating yourself up like this they'd probably all rise from the grave to beat you up themselves." He looked back at her and smiled.

"H-huh?" she asked, her cheeks suddenly flushing even brighter.

"If you were really such a bad leader, they wouldn't have followed you in the first place or would have left when they sensed something wrong, right? But they stuck with you till the end, even when they realized that was their last battle."

"Well, maybe," she said tentatively, "but how would they have known whether I would lead them to their death or not?"

"They wouldn't, but they obviously trusted you enough to accept the fact that they were going to die at some point, but for an ultimate good. They made the greatest sacrifice they could make for you and they knew how difficult it would be for a single commander to take control by herself. Even though you were unable to decide which side to join forces with permanently, they stuck by you. So stop beating yourself up, and go finish the work I gave you."

"Huh? What work?"

He laughed as he gently tapped her forehead with his knuckles, "Well, like I said before. If you even bothered listening during war councils or the meetings we hold, you'd understand your newest task. You sold me your body, right? Well, it's not helpful unless your brain knows what to do."

"Alright, **_okay_**, just tell me what you need." Rin said impatiently, crossing her arms and pushing his hand away.

"I'm sending you with four of my men to a small village called Nishimura. It's not too far from here because they've asked us for help. Recently a group of bandits have been coming and going. Naturally, because we've conquered this area, they've asked for protection and of course it's our job to keep control so, I'm sending you."

Rin sighed as she uncrossed her arms, "**_Fine, see you later _**Date."

"Hey, **_wait a sec_**." He reached out and grabbed her arm to pull her back.

"Huh? What?" she looked at him and studied his expression. His face was passive, but she could sense he was worried by the way he gripped her forearm.

He continued to hold her arm before finally saying, "These guys I'm sending you with… I trust them with my life, so you don't need to worry watching your back. I know you've been having some trouble recently with the other guys, but these ones are trustworthy. So promise me you'll take care of them."

"Okay?" Rin asked in a confused tone.

"Promise?" he stared her straight in the eyes and Rin felt her heart beat a little faster. _For a pirate_, she thought, _he's pretty good looking_. _Wait… What?_ She shook her head quickly to clear her thoughts before asking, "Sure, though you make it sound as if they're incompetent in battle. I mean, what am I, their babysitter?"

"Uh…" the young general thought about it before trying to explain, "Not exactly, though they can be a little… Slow sometimes. Just **_be careful_**, and watch out. You leave tonight. So, **_be enthusiastic!_**"

"Alright, I guess I'll go then**!**" With that, Rin left.

He yelled, "And don't forget to go straight to old man Takeda's after you're finished! I've decided we're going back tomorrow, so you should be able to catch up with us quickly! He isn't too far from where your job will be!" Without looking back, Rin held up a hand and waved. She heard him.

Date smiled. _She'll be fine…_

* * *

A/N: Okay, first of all, _no_ Date is not a pirate. It's just that before I watched Sengoku Basara, whenever I thought of the term 'eye patch' I would think of pirates so even though Date isn't one, I still think of that sort of character. ... Which should explain the random "For a pirate" comment in a round-about sort of way...

Any who, this chapter took me especially long to type because I seem to have already lost my writing mojo for this series, so I've slowed down a little. Plus, I feel like I'm only summarizing the events that are going on instead of going through them accordingly so I spent a lot of time adding details and (for once in a long time) I actually re-read the story multiple times and edited each time. Big surprise there, eh?

Anyways, thanks so much for reading the second chapter and get ready for the next one!

ありがとううううう!

- Jackal

(And always remember, **bold **and _italicized_ words are ones spoken in Engrish.)


	3. Fighting Alongside a Dragon

**Chapter Three – Fighting Alongside a Dragon**

The next afternoon, Rin left to start her job. It turned out that the four men Date had assigned her were the same four who had previously been kidnapped and held for ransom by Matsunaga Hisahide. It seemed that they only needed a night's rest and were already back in action. _So that's what Date meant by being slow sometimes. Oh God, I was right when I thought I'd be a babysitter this time. _She groaned inwardly as she ignored them. They walked into the stable, chatting to each other easily and she continued to saddle her horse.

"So, you're Kazehaya Rin-chan right?" asked the fattest man, noticing her behind the white mare. Rin nodded silently as she buckled the saddle and ignored the awful title he had given her. _At least it's not Oremoto and his gang. _She grimaced. "My name is Minotomo Ichirou! But you can just call me Mino." She nodded to show she understood.

"So, I hear you're a pretty bad ass fighter on the battlefield, Crimson Shinigami, eh?" said the man with an awful haircut. Rin shrugged and thought, _I'm probably better than you at least. Lose the stupid haircut already you dork! _"I'm not bad myself. The name is Masaka Tojirou, hope you never meet me in combat." He laughed and Rin rolled her eyes as she picked up the brush for her horse.

"Well, believe it or not, we are too. On the battlefield, I mean," Grinned the man with the glasses. _I believe not. _Rin pulled the brush through the horse's mane quickly, wanting to finish this conversation soon. _"_My name is Yasashiro Daisuke."

"Wait until you see us in action!" cheered the man with the blue guard around his jaw. "The name is Arata Ichirou." _Another Ichirou? Great…_ Rin sighed as she placed the brush back in its place, patted her horse and began mounting it.

Once she was settled Rin sighed again and said, "Look, I'm really sorry about this, but I'm not here to make friends. I'm out on a job, and that's that. Because you were assigned under my command I expect you to follow my every lead and don't mess this up, _**all right**_?" she grabbed the reigns and started the mare at an easy trot. "And try to catch up, hee-yah!" she spurred her horse into a gallop and the other four quickly followed suit.

"You know, for a bitch, she's really cool!" yelled Masaka.

"Maybe she just needs some love?" called Arata.

"Well, we'll be the ones to show her!" cheered Yasashiro.

"Man, I'm so hungry!" agreed Mino.

* * *

They arrived at Nishimura in just a little more than an hour. The men managed to finally catch up to Rin and although they didn't talk much, they certainly felt somewhat accomplished. Keeping up with the Crimson Shinigami was an impressive feat in it of itself.

"So what's the job Big Boss gave to you, Little Boss?" Yasashiro asked.

Rin eyed him and said, "Well, by 'Big Boss' I assume you mean Date, and he only gave us guard duty today." _So I guess I wasn't the only one not paying attention, _Rin thought awkwardly. _I guess it's a good thing Date caught up to me that one time…_

"Guard duty?" Arata repeated.

Rin nodded, "We are to meet with the chief of the village, and he'll show us the most open parts that need the most protection so we can be alert."

They headed to the center of the small village, passing various people of the town. Rin said, "Stay on your guard, but try not to scare the villagers. Looks can be… Often misleading." She was unsure of how to say that they all looked like idiots without being blunt, though it didn't seem to matter since none of the villagers even glanced at them. It was strange behavior, considering that most villages she'd visited had villagers who liked staring at outsiders to the point of making them feel uncomfortable, but Rin decided this was for the better.

The men saluted while walking and said, "Understood!" They reached the small hut where a wizened old man stood waiting for them quickly. His long robes brushed against the ground and white hair fell down his back behind a bald scalp which practically shone in the afternoon sun.

He squinted to look at them properly and said, "Well, if my eyes don't deceive me, I do believe you have a woman on your squad! Do you not?" His small eyes got even smaller as he continued to get a better view.

Rin forced a smile to her face and said, "No, you are correct. I am female and I am the one assigned as leader of this group. My name is Kazehaya Rin. We were told that you requested help?"

The old man sighed and nodded, "Oh yes, help indeed. You see, a recent attack has set me at unease and although I knew the One-Eyed Dragon is currently with the Tiger of Kai, I asked for immediate assistance."

"I see. Before you show us our positions, would you like to share any useful information you know of these attackers?" _Doesn't he mean, 'we'? Why didn't he include the village?..._

"I'm glad you asked." The chief said, "Yes. Actually, this group of bandits, they're all women."

* * *

Dusk was approaching quickly, and thus far nothing had occurred. Rin sat calmly at the trunk of a tree just outside the village and assumed (and hoped) that the other four were also doing their jobs.

Rin was the last one to be shown her position and right before the chief left he took her by the arm and said, "Please, if you could, look for my daughter and talk her into coming back? She left me many years ago to join this group and I haven't had a chance to speak with her myself. Please don't hurt her, if at all possible. I know she's a part of this." The man took her hand and placed a folded sheet of paper on the palm of her hand, wrapping her fingers back around it and leaving soon after before another word could be said.

The chief had given her a small portrait of his 'daughter' and she studied it closely. _The artist gave her pink hair, were they crazy or what? _Rin snickered inwardly before clearing her throat and reprimanding herself. _Though, she looks a lot like Maka without her buns… Augh, I shouldn't be thinking thoughts like that. _Rin shook her head furiously to clear her thoughts and she looked up at the sky. The stars were just starting to peek out as the sun faded away, and before she knew it, Rin had fallen asleep.

She woke up what seemed only moments later when she heard the rustling of leaves. She took out her fans and stood up. The moon was fully out now. It was a full moon tonight and gave her plenty of light to see. She glanced into the surrounding trees when something darted towards her.

With quick reflexes she parried a knife blow and grabbed her attacker's arm, wrapping it around the back of their neck and pointing the knife towards it. She quickly pinned the girl against the tree she had previously been sleeping on and pinned the attacker's other arm between the tree and her own body.

"Now what do we have here?" asked Rin with a smirk. "A little bandit come to kill me? You underestimated me girl. Now tell me, who are you?"

The girl turned her head so the bark of the tree only dug into her cheek as she glared at Rin, "Hmph, have you really forgotten me so soon, _Rin-Sama_? You're colder than I remember."

Rin took another look at her amber eyes and took a double take. _Pink hair tied up in buns surrounded by shoulder length hair? Amber eyes? _"M-Maka?" Rin stuttered.

Maka took this moment of confusion and threw her leg up behind her, forcing Rin to move backwards and allowing Maka to free herself.

"That's right." Maka said, "So you do remember!"

"But I thought-!"

"You thought what? That I had died in the last battle like my poor brother? The battle in which you mercilessly led all 99 of your followers to their deaths? Yeah, no. Didn't work against me. Remember when I sprained my wrist the night before? I told you I would go off into battle despite what you told me, but my brother talked me out of it at the last minute. After a while, I sensed something had gone wrong so I went to investigate, and low and behold, there they were. Dead. The whole lot of them _because of you_!" She hissed.

Rin's eyes began trembling as she said, "N-no, I… It's not my fault. I didn't know that Chosokabe had a harquebus group and they shot us down!"

"Not your fault? NOT YOUR FAULT?" Maka asked, she laughed with a hint of hysteria on the edge of her voice. "This whole thing is _your_ fault! I bet you planned the whole thing out! I'm lucky I wasn't caught up in it! You could've done _something_ to stop them!"

"I tried!" Rin cried, frozen to her spot as she began to sweat lightly.

"Yeah? Well not hard enough!" Maka shouted, whipping out a pistol. "Prepare to die, traitor!" Suddenly Rin snapped out of her vacancy and dodged as Maka fired her gun. She ran from side to side as Maka kept firing.

"Grr, stop! Stop moving around!" she fired again but Rin was close enough to deflect the shot with her fan. Finally she closed it and using its razor sharp edges split the gun into four neat quarters. Disgusted Maka threw what was left of it to the side and grabbed her dual daggers again. She lunged but Rin deflected both attacks with her fans, then counterattacked. Slowly but surely she backed Maka up against the tree again until Maka was cornered.

Rin stabbed both knives into the sleeves of Maka's shirts, trapping her again. "Finished yet?" Rin asked, not bothering to crack a smile.

Maka growled, "You! You bitch! I knew something like this would happen! That's why I came prepared."

Rin looked at her quizzically and said, "That's funny because you look cornered to me."

"Oh yeah?" Maka whistled, loud and clear and a shape jumped from the trees behind her. Rin jumped back, just barely managing to block a sword thrust.

A man landed neatly not too far away. His clothes were all black, from boots to shirt and cape. Even his hair and eyes were ebony. Although he was looking down at the time, Rin later noticed he wore a white mask as well, its only feature being a red scar cutting through the right eye. Though, even with the mask she recognized his face as two similar black eyes gazed out at her.

Although he seemed to have changed in clothing and personality, there was no mistaking it, it was her older brother.

Kaito Kazehaya.

"Kaito?" Rin asked, incredulous. She took a step back as, once again, her eyes widened in shock.

"And that's not all." Maka grinned. She whistled again, this time three short blasts and soon a whole band of other women had them surrounded. "Meet _my_ army." Maka said with a triumphant grin.

Rin closed her eyes for a second, trying to calm her nerves. When she opened them she smiled confidently and said, "That's an impressive army you've got there Maka, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeves! Here's one I learned from my friend Sasuke." She reached into the folds of her sleeves and threw a pellet on the ground. Colored smoke exploded from it and washed over the whole group. Those closest to it began violent coughing fits and by the time it cleared Rin was gone.

"Don't just stand there, go after her!" Maka yelled, still coughing. The other girls separated as she began to rip out her knives from her sleeves. "And you!" she turned to Kaito, "Why didn't you say anything to her?"

Kaito didn't answer, merely looked off to the distance and Maka could only guess what was going through his mind. "Well, it's no use now." Maka sighed as she said, "We might as well come and get what we came for, and then go after her." She started walking towards her home village, not bothering to wait for Kaito who silently followed after her.

* * *

_**Oh shit,**__ Maka and Kaito? How did Maka find him? I've been searching for him for years and she finds him in only a few weeks? Where has he been and why hasn't he spoken yet? _Thoughts raced through Rin's mind as she took down another set of the female warriors and continued running off. _I have to warn the guys to get out of here, _she concluded.

She reached Yasashiro's post first and saw that the other three were already around. Yasashiro jumped at her presence and the other guys woke up immediately, standing up and bowing quickly, "L-Little Boss! Uh, is something the matter? The guys and I were just, uh-"

"Just-!" Mino continued trying to search for an acceptable excuse for the four of them at the same post sleeping.

Rin nodded her head, "It's fine, and actually, I'm glad you're together. We're in trouble, the group came and have attacked."

"What? Where? Let me at 'em, I'll stop them right where they-"

Rin interrupted Masaka and said, "No, the thing is, they brought my older brother and an old acquaintance. This is no place for any of you. I want you to all ride back to headquarters and get reinforcements, or even better, get Katakura for me. _**Got it**_?"

"But, Little Boss, we want to hel-"

Again Rin just shook her head, "If you want to help, then _get out of here_ and get Katakura!"

"But Little Boss, it took us over an hour just to get here, and it'll take even more time to get back, how will you be able to-"

"I'll manage to hold out until you come back, now _hurry up_!"

"Yes sir, right away!" The four bowed and leapt onto their horses, waking them up quickly and heading out.

_Now that they're out of the way…_ Rin gave a sigh of relief and then glanced around. The area was quiet. _… Too quiet._ _Where are they? _Rin wondered.

She headed into the village, searching for any signs of attacks, but there were none. In fact, the whole area seemed deserted. Rin muttered, "It's like a ghost town."

She ran to the chief's house but froze in her tracks as she saw Maka walk out, carrying a glowing sheath and dragging the chief. She threw him over to Rin and he rolled onto his back. He was bleeding in several areas and Rin knelt down to him, "Chief? Chief Yamizaki? That's your name isn't it? You aren't Maka's father are you? You're her grandfather!"

The old man coughed and smiled, looking up towards Rin, "Thank you Rin-chan… For bringing… Her back…" He closed his eyes, and with a shuddering breath was silent.

"Chief Yamizaki!" Rin gritted her teeth, knowing there was nothing more to do. "Maka. How dare you do this? Why did you have to kill him?"

Maka shrugged, "He was getting old anyways, and he wouldn't hand the secret to unlocking Raikotu's power. If he had just done that, I would've killed him quicker." She unsheathed the sword and said, "Oh well."

"What happened to 'family comes first' Maka? I thought your family meant everything to you!" Rin shouted.

"They do." Maka said angrily, "Or did until my only family died because of_ you_. That stupid old man meant nothing to me because the only family I had died weeks ago!"

"And this village, the people here? What happened to them?" Rin asked.

"Nothing," Maka said. "The only living person here was the old man, the rest was all an illusion cast by your brother and yours truly. You know, Kaito really does have a gift with illusions. This village has been deserted for years due to other attacks, but he still managed to make it look occupied!"

Her brother appeared to Maka's right, as silent as a ghost but he still wouldn't look at Rin. Rin gritted her teeth and said, "I'll make you pay for this."

"Oh yeah? Just remember that this doesn't even come close to making us even, for the crimes you've committed, traitor!"

She threw the sheath to her side and raised her sword. "Strike the Heavens Raikotu!" she shouted, she thrust the sword forward and Rin expected to parry it but instead a blast of lightning zipped out and Rin barely managed to close herself in tight to block it.

"What the? How is that possible, your element isn't lightning!" she yelled as she blocked another blast. It threw her backwards and she quickly steadied herself as another attack was launched.

Maka smirked, "Cool toy, huh? It's one of the few weapons that can grant its wielder a totally new element and let them keep their original one." She closed in to Rin and as if to prove her point, slashed through with her dagger, just barely missing Rin as the blade heated up. Rin shot back as it exploded and she grimaced as the hand and cheek closest to it began to sting.

Already her face felt bruised and she knew without even looking that she had been burnt on the hand. She glanced back at Chief Yamizaki and nodded, as if making a resolve. "What's that Chief? You want me to stop Maka at all costs before she hurts herself? I tried stopping her without force, but you only said to try to avoid it, not to ignore it entirely. Well, _**alright then**_, if you insist!"

She held her ground in a sort of fighting position as she powered up the air around her. "They don't call me 'Kazehaya' for nothing!" she yelled as a circle of wind formed around her feet. The small breezes continued wrapping around her until a thin veil cocooned her into a small area. She threw her arm forward and directed one of the winds to blast Maka off her feet. She tried blocking it but flew into the air, leaving her open for an attack.

Rin launched herself forward, striking Maka hard in the stomach and was about to make a return attack when she was intercepted by Kaito. His eyes bored deep into Rin's as he forced her back down and slammed her against the ground. A crater appeared around them and Rin was at the center of it.

She was just pushing herself up slowly, grimacing as she did so when Kaito raised his katana with his right hand. He pointed the _wakizashi_ towards her throat and was about to bring the one in his right hand down when a body clad in blue shot out of nowhere, forcing him to block and pushing him away.

"Date Masamune, Big Boss of Oushu at your service!" yelled a cocky voice.

"D-Date? What are you doing here?" Rin asked, surprised as her eyes widened.

"Well there's gratitude for you, I mean, who did you expect? As soon as the guys came back without you, I knew there was a hold up, and so here I am." He turned his head to look at her and grinned. "Remember I told you that we're partying at Old Man Takeda's place now? It's closer here than ours so I was able to save time getting here. It's a good thing the guys remembered in time before reaching our place."

_Those guys… Thank you, all of you!_ Rin smiled to herself as she forced herself to get up. When she joined Date's side she asked, "But what about your bullet-"

"I feel great," he said, grinning.

"Date…" she whispered. She closed her eyes as she smiled, "Thank you!"

"Alright then, _**are you ready**_?"

"Yes sir!"

The two stood together, each in their own unique fighting stances. Dark blue light began to gather around Masamune as silver light washed over Rin and together they shouted, "_**Here we come**_!"

Together their colors merged and they spiraled towards Kaito, "_**Here we goooo!**_" they shouted as they each landed a blow on Rin's older brother. They continued their onslaught of attacks, forcing Kaito farther back with every attack.

"Forgive me, Kaito!" Rin yelled. She hopped backwards and then jumped forward again, striking out to distract him as Date pierced his sword into his gut.

"Kaito!" Maka yelled, conscious long enough to see Kaito stumbling backwards. He kept stepping back as Date and Rin began to advance.

Kaito stooped over but finally straightened and smiled at Rin, "Good job… Little Sister." He looked up and before her very eyes, disappeared.

"Where did he-?" she began to ask.

Masamune pointed and they both looked up at the tops of the trees as a lone figure stood against the moon. A black cape billowed from behind him but this figure didn't have his mask on. A pair of coal-black eyes gazed at them and soon disappeared into the night.

"Should we go after him?" Rin asked.

"In your condition? No." Date grimaced as he felt his old wound. "We should be getting back; I think I might have just re-opened my gut." Rin nodded in agreement as she felt the burning feeling on her cheek and hand again. "We should take your friend back too." Masamune nodded towards Maka who had passed out again and Rin sighed.

"I guess you're right. It's the least I can do for her after… What's happened."

"What, you don't like her enough to help anymore?"

"No, it's just… I don't want to offend her honor or anything… She was always big about that when we worked together. She was something of a retainer back when my army was still around and she's held a grudge against me ever since, apparently. Though, with you and Katakura around I should be safe from her fury." She shook her head as she gazed at Maka's limp form. Although she was seventeen, seeing her so helpless made Rin think of her as a child. _Oh Maka… _she thought. _I'm so sorry… I promise I'll try making everything right soon…_

They retrieved their horses quietly, bringing them around and placing Maka carefully on the back of Rin's as they started leaving. After traveling a mile in silence Rin finally said, "Date?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you."

"_**Don't worry**_, I'm just adding this to your debt under me."

"What?" with her abrupt answer she pulled back, stopping her horse and Date smiled, also halting his stead in front of hers.

"I believe this adds on another two weeks of work for you? I mean, you did sell your body to me for as long as it took to repay my debt of 'hospitality'."

"You're joking, right?"

"Well, you know, you could probably clear up the debt in one fell swoop if you… You know. _Actually_ used your body." He grinned again and Rin blushed, catching his suggestion.

"Shut up! And no! I'm already doing your chores… I remember my promise to you… And I'll keep it, but I'm not doing anything sexual, and that's final." She looked off to the side to avoid his gaze and he laughed. She moved her horse at a slow walk again and he followed.

"I was _**just kidding**_." He said lightly after she calmed down.

"_**Shut up**_."

He laughed as they continued riding towards Takeda's base, ending another journey and starting a new one.

* * *

A/N: Alright, so here's another ... Slightly rushed chapter. Although I worked for over three hours straight on this one, it still feels oddly rushed. Maybe that's just my writing style? Eh, oh well.

This chapter is meant to take place of the events between episode 8 and 9. So after Date's men are kidnapped and before Uesugi and Takeda are attacked. (Oops, did I just give spoilers?)

I totally forgot the names of Date's men (if they even had any) so I made them up. -u- They weren't important anyways. Also, because they call Date 'Big Boss' and Katakura 'Boss' I figured they'd just call a commander 'Little Boss' even if they are temporary (though... That's the English dub). Eh, I needed a sort of comic relief nick-name for Rin.

So, I had a really great idea planned out to use in the future which I am anticipating on using very soon sooo, hopefully this series lasts that long. I'm counting on it because I already wrote it. All I need to do is order up a few events to lead into it so it doesn't come out of nowhere (which explains why this chapter was written so hastily).

Thank youuuuu for reading yet another chapter and I hope you continue pleeeease! I need the views!

ありがとうううう!

- Jackal


	4. Remembering a Certain Dragon

**Chapter Four – Remembering a Certain Dragon**

"Hey Rin." Date said, quite suddenly. He pulled his horse to a stop and Rin looked back at him, stopping her horse as well. They were getting closer to Takeda's manor and Rin was eager to get to sleep to think. Had that really been her brother? Or another illusion? Maybe if she could just lie down she'd be able to figure it out.

"Yeah?" She watched him as he looked back at her, trying to think of what to say.

Masamune paused for a second as he looked off to the side. "I was just wondering… Do you remember the first time we met? Or the promise I made you?"

Rin cocked her head to the side as she thought, "Um… Hm… Well, we first met during one of the years Takeda hired me to beat you off his land, right?"

Date groaned, _so much for that_, he thought disappointedly. He shook his head, "No, I guess not then. _**Forget it**_." He coaxed his horse to start moving again, passing Rin as she watched him.

She followed and they were both quiet until Rin asked, "So… That wasn't the first time we met?"

Date shook his head and said, "No, I guess you really don't remember."

"I'm sorry…" she said sheepishly. "I was so sure that was the first time…"

He shrugged, "It was a long time ago anyways."

"Tell me about it." Rin said, suddenly interested. A small idea began forming in the back of her head as she tried remembering.

Date smiled thinly and said, "Not tonight. Maybe some other time."

Rin frowned, "No, it's important to you right? Tell me about it."

"No," was his simple reply. She would've let the matter drop under normal circumstances, but he wouldn't look back at her… And that worried her.

Rin huffed and said, "Then why bother mentioning it?"

Date shrugged again, "I was only wondering, but tell me, has your brother always been one to pick a fight and run? I don't think I got to meet him the first time we-" He stopped himself before completing his sentence, mentally hitting himself a few times. Didn't want to go back to _that_ topic. He hoped she hadn't noticed.

Rin sighed, "Nice try, but I'm not finished with you yet."

Date grimaced, then smiled and said, "No, I'm actually curious about him."

"Yeah? Well I'm curious as to how we met before." They stopped again to glare at each other.

Date sighed, "We met when we were kids, okay? I was eight and you were seven. That's it. _**Alright**_? So tell me about your brother."

Rin glared at him and then with equal briefness said, "My brother's a good guy who only wants to end this war. He's kind and talented, and I just wish I had been able to talk to him. There, now we're even." She pushed her horse into motion and Masamune rolled his eye as he trailed behind her.

They were silent the rest of the way, but Rin continued thinking about what Masamune had described, still trying to search her memories for his face until she fell asleep; suddenly the previous battle with her brother losing importance. Or, that's how she had planned it, because she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow in the guest room she had been given at Takeda's manor and barely had time to even remember which room they put Maka in.

She was rudely awakened only a few hours later by Sasuke, who materialized in front of her screen door.

"Rin."

Rin's eyes shot open as she bolted up. "Sasuke?"

He slid open the door, "A message for you." He didn't smile, which was odd, Rin thought. Though she supposed she wouldn't be smiling either if she was forced to wake up so early just to pass on a message.

She groaned and said, "Couldn't it wait until later? I'm trying to sleep… What are you doing this early anyways? It can't be much later than six in the morning."

Sasuke sighed, "Well, I guess it could wait, but they said this was important."

"Important how?"

"I'm not sure, but the requester said she was your sister."

* * *

"Hotaru." Rin said coolly, ten minutes after she scrambled to get up and dressed. She wore an air of calm like a robe, trying to protect herself from whatever was coming next by acting cool and indifferent.

"Rin." Hotaru said, matching in calm. She didn't look much different from how Rin remembered her only two years previously. With silver hair and piercing blue eyes, she looked very much like their mother, which was probably why their mother had wanted her the most.

_Two years? Has it really been that long since we last saw each other? _Rin grimaced to herself and asked, "And to what do I owe the… _Pleasure _of our meeting this morning?"

Hotaru rolled her eyes, "Oh stop. Cut out the polite 'I-don't-know-who-you-are-but-I'll-put-up-with-you-for-now' stranger act and come back home with me as the older sister I knew. That I know."

Rin looked at her, "…What?" She thought she had misheard her, _Come back home with her?_

"You heard me." Hotaru stared at Rin with an intensity that made Rin want to flinch, but she kept control over herself. Allowing no emotions to show at all would be a test of strength for her.

"Come back… Home with you?" Hotaru nodded and Rin sighed. "Look Hotaru, I left home for a reason, right? And I'd like to come back, but unfortunately that reason is still very much at large, so I can't."

"What reason? The war?" Hotaru asked, guessing it right away. Rin couldn't do anything but nod in agreement and Hotaru scoffed. "You know, we both know that that's not the real reason. Your real reason is to have an excuse to fight, right? Come off it, we both know that ever since you learned how to, you've been begging for a good fight. Haven't you killed enough men already?"

This time, Rin flinched visibly and Hotaru smiled to herself, _well that got her attention_. Rin searched for something to counter her words. "Hotaru… I'm just… Trying to end this war so we can both be safe and so families don't lose any more loved ones."

"Yeah? Well I hate to break it to you, but your help in killing people isn't going to make it any easier. You're just helping millions of other families lose fathers, brothers, lovers… Why can't you just come home and stay out of this massacre?"

"The only way to end this war is to beat back the other armies. Only then can we begin negotiations." Rin said, as a sudden wave of nausea rolled over her and her sister's words took place in her head.

"Look, I get that!" Hotaru said, suddenly standing up. "I may be six years younger than you, but I'm not a child! So stop treating me like one!" she huffed and Rin continued to stare into her lap.

"Hotaru, please calm down." She avoided Hotaru's gaze which only served to make her angrier.

Hotaru's hands clenched into fists and she clenched her teeth equally hard. "Rin, I just… I want you to come back! Please? Before you're killed?"

"To do what?" Rin yelled, finally losing her patience. She stood up just as abruptly as Hotaru had. She only stood a few inches taller than Hotaru but still managed to make an impression of standing seven feet tall in Hotaru's view. Some things never changed…

"To-! … I don't know, to act like a real woman maybe? Get pregnant? Have kids? Be happy! You've never acted like one, in your entire life, and sometimes I think you forget what you really are! How could this bloodshed _possibly_ make you happy?" Tears sprang into Hotaru's eyes, as she tried making Rin feel bad. It wasn't difficult, as she was already visibly frustrated.

"But Hotaru… I'm not like the women from our village. Those things don't make me happy." Rin said quietly, calming down and standing still. "I've never felt that sort of need or that compulsion. And frankly, there are more fish in the sea than what we have in our little pond."

"Rin!" Hotaru yelled.

Rin turned her back to her sister and said quietly, "This discussion is over. I'm sure Takeda-sama will let you stay under his wing for a while, provided that you offer your medical services, but if not, then just leave." She began walking away until she whipped around to grab her sister's wrist.

She wrapped Hotaru's own arm around her back, twisting the small hand knife out of her grip and then slammed her against one of the beams supporting the roof on the porch. She grimaced when she said, "So you're so desperate to bring me back, you're willing to knock me unconscious?"

Hotaru bit her lip but didn't answer. She didn't have to. "So you're still a child after all. I left on my own accord, I'm not being forced to do this, I want to! You don't seem to understand yet that with even one more extra set of hands around, one person can determine an army's chances of victory!" she jolted Hotaru so she could get the point, then released her moments later after listening to her ragged breath. Mixed with sorrow and anger, Hotaru sounded terrible.

She began walking away in earnest this time when she muttered, "I'm not coming home until I see this war end."

"Rin!" Hotaru called, holding a hand to her previously crushed cheek, "I…! I'm already…!" she bit the inside of her other cheek as she tried forcing her words out.

Rin glanced back, "You're what?"

Unable to say what was on her mind, Hotaru just nodded saying quietly, "Never mind. You'd never understand anyways…"

"Hmph… _**See you later**_." She finally left Hotaru crying by herself.

* * *

After cooling down from her argument with her sister, Rin stalked away and began searching for Katakura. It was still very early, and she knew Date wasn't any more a morning person than herself which gave her plenty of time to look for the retainer. She wanted to catch Katakura before he woke up Masamune.

She looked down most of the halls around where she thought Date's room was and even checked Katakura's room. His door was open, so she thought it fair game to check inside, but he still couldn't be found. She wandered one of the courtyards and then another until she found Katakura training quietly by himself. Unlike Date and Rin, he was very much a morning person and often woke up early to train. Rin watched him quietly for a little and then cleared her throat.

Katakura paused then looked back at her as he sheathed his sword. Like Masamune usually did, Katakura wore a blue hakama when he worked, though most people never saw him until after he had changed back to his normal clothes. He smiled briefly as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

"Rin… Good morning, you're up awfully early today. Is something the matter?" He walked closer to her and Rin handed him the bamboo canteen she found on the ground. He took it and took several gulps from it.

Rin watched and then said, "Not in particular I… Just had another family… Family discussion. Uh… Katakura… I was wondering… Do you happen to know how I met Date? Has he told you before?"

Katakura looked at her oddly when he said, "Actually, he has. Any particular reason you want to know?"

Rin laughed awkwardly and said, "Yes, actually. He asked me the other night whether I remembered or not and when I told him no, he seemed disappointed but wouldn't tell me anything."

Katakura sighed as he looked off at the sky. It wasn't particularly early but the sun had yet to show itself from behind the morning clouds. "Well… Okay." He motioned for her to sit down as he sat down himself. He leaned against the post supporting the roof and said, "From what I was told, you were both pretty young when you met."

Rin nodded, "Yeah, I managed to get him to tell me we were seven and eight then."

"Yes… From what he's told me you met during his visits to the villages that lived in the territory his family conquered, with his father during the summer."

"Oh?" Rin asked, as she slowly tried remembering the event.

* * *

_"Father, do we have to do this?" Young Masamune whined._

_Date Terumune didn't look up from the scroll he was reading but laughed and said, "No, but we kind of owe this village at least one visit from our free time."_

_"We owe it? How much?" Masamune asked._

_Lord Date laughed again and said, "Nothing. In money, anyways, but they gave us their village without a fight so we were able to expand our boarders without any casualties. Plus, they willingly sacrificed many of their men and even a few women to our cause. We owe them for that. Besides, I need to go over some of the official process of making this village ours completely. Then we have an obligation of keeping them safe and all. This far out, it's no wonder they're attacked by bandits so often."_

_Masamune sighed, staring out the carriage windows. It still didn't explain why he had to come with… He wondered. He rubbed his forehead in the area just above his right eye. "It'll only be for a few days." His father promised, finally looking up to swat his son's hand away. Ever since the small pox had robbed him of the sight in his eye, he had the odd habit of rubbing his forehead just above it. Even with the new eye patch he wouldn't leave it alone._

_When they reached the village, they were greeted warmly by the villagers but Masamune could feel none of it as he looked around warily. His father walked off in another direction with two of his men and Masamune was left to wander by himself._

_Suddenly, a sharp edge hit him the back of the head and he yelped. He turned around as he rubbed the sore spot and saw a pebble lying on the ground. He looked around but didn't see anyone else around, as most people had all probably gone off to watch the debates, then he heard a muffled giggle and he looked up. Sitting perched in a tree was a little girl, not much younger than him. She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly and giggled again, this time not bothering to try hiding her presence._

_"Hey!" he shouted angrily. He walked towards her and sensing his menacing intent, jumped from her branch and started running. He shouted "Hey!" again and began running after her._

_She was fast, for a squirt, but he managed to catch up to her. He tackled her and they rolled down a hill a few times before finally stopping. He pinned her down and growled, "And what do you think you were doing?"_

_The girl grinned, shrugging as high as Date would allow, then swiftly reached her head up and kissed him on the cheek. His eye opened widened and he blinked a few times in surprise, putting a hand to his cheek and blushing a dark red. The girl took this opportunity to escape his clutches and started backing away, a smile on her face._

_"My name is Rin. Rin Kazehaya, Young Master Date." They stared at each other, Date's hand still on his cheek where she kissed him and Rin standing only a few feet away, only slightly ashamed of herself. It was as if time stopped, though a gentle breeze showed that it hadn't._

_And that, was how the two first met._

* * *

Rin looked up at Kojuro, as he went back to swinging his sword at invisible enemies.

"I kissed him?"

Although she couldn't see it, Kojuro smirked and said, "Only on the cheek."

Rin closed her eyes and laughed, "I guess I do remember that now. Sort of. Although I completely blocked that kissing part out of my head."

By now the sun had begun its slow, visible ascent in the sky and Katakura leaned his sword on his shoulders, heaving a breath. "Well, I think I'm going to get washed and then wake up Masamune-Sama. Would you like to come with when I'm done?"

Rin shrugged, "Sure, I have nothing more to do anyways."

"Alright, just wait here then." He ruffled her hair as he passed her and walked down the hall.

Rin watched him but jumped when she heard another body sit down next to her. She turned around to see Date smiling broadly at her, "So I see you forced the truth out of Kojuro, huh? Poor guy. I almost feel sorry for him. "

Rin blushed, "How long have you been around?"

"The whole time," he said casually, shrugging.

Rin blushed even deeper and said, "So did I… Really…?" she didn't complete the sentence but Masamune laughed as he caught on.

"Is it really bothering you?"

"No I'm just… Surprised I didn't remember."

He shrugged again, "You were only seven, but yeah, it actually happened."

"Oh." They sat in an awkward silence, (or at least, Rin thought they did) when she asked, "But you mentioned that you made a promise to me at one point. From what I remember now, we didn't make a promise the first time we met."

"No, it was later on." Masamune watched the sky lighten when he finally said, "We only knew each other for about four days, but because my father got so wrapped up in his politics, and your kiss, of course," (Rin punched him lightly on the shoulder then) "we became pretty close."

* * *

_"Riiiiin! Wait up!" yelled a voice._

_Rin laughed as she yelled back, "Come on ya slow-poke, or you'll never be able to find my special place by yourself!"_

_Young Date sighed irritably as he kept running to catch up. Rin could be so annoyingly unfeminine sometimes; he wondered whether she was really a girl. For someone with as much energy as her, it was quite possible she was otherwise. He kept running and finally managed to catch up to her, but only because she had stopped so abruptly he ran into her. He jumped back and rubbed his chin which had hit the back of her head._

_She turned around and did the same to her head, "Hey, watch where you're going next time."_

_"I only ran into you because you stopped so suddenly!" Masamune protested but Rin just shrugged and pointed._

_"Look."_

_Not too far away lay a small cluster of houses. They were old; judging by the dilapidation of the roofs and even from this distance he could tell it was abandoned. _

_"What is it?" he asked._

_"It's the ruins of our old village." Rin shrugged as she started walking again, "But it's not really what I wanted to show you."_

_"Your village moved?" Date asked, following again._

_She nodded, "Yeah, we had to because we were attacked by another army before yours managed to intervene. That's what I was told, anyways. I wasn't that old at the time. After that, many of our men joined the army to repay you, and soon we became known alliances so the Dates expanded their boarder. Or, at least, what they're doing now, officially. Before, we had just been a small village in the middle of nowhere, minding our own business." She giggled as she twirled between the houses._

_Date looked around and studied the abandoned homes quickly before passing them. "But what is it you want to show me?"_

_She turned back to him and placed a finger to her lips signifying that it was a secret. "I'll show you in a minute, but first of all, you have to be quiet, and second, you can't tell anyone about it."_

_He looked back at her, confused but put his own finger against his lips. "Alright, I promise, but can we hurry? This place is giving me the creeps."_

_Rin giggled again and said, "You're such a scaredy-cat Masamune."_

_She began dancing away again as Date protested, "Am not!" He took one more glance around before following again. Something about this village just seemed weird to him, and he did _not _want to be left alone._

_They continued passing the village and finally made it to the other boarder, walking into a small forest but Rin kept on. For how long they were walking, they must have been at the heart of it before Rin finally stopped, twirled one last time and held her arms above her head, "This is my secret place!" She said cheerfully._

_Date looked around but didn't see anything special. "This?" He asked, unsure of how to act impressed when he wasn't. They were in the middle of the forest and the only thing around were green trees and a small pond. The river that banked the village poured into it which added some background noise and other movement, but other than that, the place was dead quiet. And dead still. Rin sighed._

_"You're such a spoil-sport Masamune. Isn't this place amazing in your eyes?"_

_"Eye." Date corrected, pointing to his patch and then he shrugged, "Not really."_

_"Well then keep following me." Rin smiled again as she grabbed his hand._

_"Huh? We're walking even further in from here? You know, if my father knew where I've gone I'll be in big trouble."_

_"So will I," Rin said, pulling her shoes off. "But that's why we're here in the middle of the night. I wish I could take you in the afternoon, when the trees shine and are awake, but if I did, we'd get caught. Though the trees are still lovely in the moon light even if… Some of us don't think so." She stuck her tongue out at Date and began climbing the tree in front of her. "Come on!" she called._

_Date watched her climb it swiftly and groaned. Climbing definitely wasn't his idea of fun. Yet he followed. When they reached (what seemed to be the top) Rin pointed and said, "And this, Young Master Date, is the world." She smiled brightly and finally Masamune seemed to have his breath taken away. He didn't realize how tall the tree was before, but they were actually high enough to look over the tops of all the other trees. They were not at a good height to fall down from, he decided._

_Rin pointed into the distance, "That's the village, waaaay over there!" she said cheerfully._

_They sat together, just looking around as a faint breeze blew and Date said, "It's like you can see the whole world from this one tree."_

_Rin nodded, happy that someone agreed with her, "Yeah! This tree must have been growing for hundreds of years, for it to be so tall. I love it."_

_"You kind of feel like a god from this view point." Rin sighed happily again as she started climbing down. Masamune took one last look around before following. Thankfully, he was better climbing down trees than up and managed to reach the bottom first._

_He watched as Rin slowly climbed down and nearly had a heart attack when her foot slipped, though she caught herself in time. She was only about ten feet up, but even from there, she'd definitely break something if she fell. From just over nine feet up she called, "Look out below!" and jumped from the branch._

_Masamune's good eye widened as he rushed to get below her, he held out his arms and the two collided. Rin landed on him and they both fell down. Date landed on his back and groaned saying, "Watch it, stupid! You could have hurt yourself."_

_Rin laughed, "But I didn't. Lucky you were here huh? Though I wouldn't have done that if I was alone." Date looked up and realized how close they were. He stared into her big black eyes and saw his reflection in them. He blushed and Rin laughed, kissing him on the cheek again. "You get so embarrassed around girls Masamune, are you thinking bad thoughts?"_

_He blushed, "N-no! It's just your fault for being so close." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, something that became her new form of provocation, and then clapped her hands, "That reminds me!" she scrambled up and Date watched her. She looked around the ground for a few minutes before saying excitedly, "Masamune, come here! Look!"_

_He got up slowly, not forgetting that a +90 pound body had just fallen onto him from over eight feet high, unlike that +90 pound body who already had. He looked to see what she was so excited about this time, but only saw a sapling. "This?" he asked again. She nodded._

_"I planted it. It's a sign that I've been here."_

_"How will people know?" he asked, "You're not even supposed to be here in the first place, right?"_

_"No, but I know. And you know. … And the Earth knows. And this tree will know." She smiled brightly and he couldn't help but smile back. "And that's all that matters…" Date had the sudden urge to hold her close at that point, so he reached out and pulled her close._

_He held her against his chest and whispered, "Then on this sapling, I promise that one day, when we're older, I'll find you again, and one day, I'll ask you to be my wife."_

_Rin was quiet for a moment, and he wondered whether she heard him or not when she replied, "Then on that day, the day you find me again and ask? I'll accept."_

_He could hear the seriousness in her voice and laughed quietly, "I won't forget that."_

_"What?"_

_"Your promise. Our promise."_

_She smiled as she squirmed around so she could face him. She wrapped her arms under his and placed her head against his shoulder, "Young Master Date?" she asked, using the annoying formal name to bother him._

_"Yeah?"_

_"I love you."_

* * *

_Their departure was abrupt, for the next day, early that morning in fact, the Dates left. Urgent news sent for them from Date manor arrived and they had to leave quite suddenly._

_Masamune held Rin's hand as she cried. They were in her special hiding place for what would be the last time in a while and he continued whispering consolation to her. "But I don't want you to leave!" she cried and he looked away._

_"I know… We were supposed to stay for at least one or two more days but… Something came up. My father never told me, but I guess it's really important."_

_After another minute or so, Rin took a deep, shuddering breath and looked up. "If I can't find you first, you'll come back though, right?"_

_He looked at her sadly and said, "I'll try but…"_

_"Please promise!" Rin said, with pleading eyes._

_He gulped and said, "I promise." He held her in a tight hug and she held on just as tightly. Soon, he managed to get her off her feet and they walked slowly back, his hand still tightly wrapped around hers._

_By now, the new recruits were probably ready to leave with their commanders and would be waiting for them. He looked around one last time, and finally marveled at the forest. Rin was right, it truly was amazing in the day light, but he still wouldn't be able to see it in the afternoon, "at its greatest" as Rin had said._

_When they reached the village one of the soldiers spotted them and grabbed Date, "Quickly Young Master, we must leave!" he let himself be pulled away as his and Rin's hands were pulled apart and they walked briskly. Rin watched, with sad eyes._

_"Don't forget our promise, okay?" she yelled._

_He yelled back, "No way! I'll find you again, and we'll get married, I promise!" He waved and Rin gave him a sad smile, watching as he got in the carriage and quickly rode away. She ran all the way back to her hiding spot, climbed up the tree as fast as a squirrel, and watched as the carriage got smaller and smaller on the horizon._

_"It's a promise…" she whispered to herself. The wind carried her voice and she imagined that it took it straight to Masamune._

_"It's a promise…" Masamune also whispered, watching the landscape zoom by._

_"What is?" asked his father, distracted._

_"Nothing…" Masamune said, shaking his head._

_"Are you glad you're leaving?" his father asked, trying to distract himself from worrisome thoughts. "I'm sorry we had to leave so quickly, but you didn't like being there anyways, right?"_

_He sighed, "No, I didn't. I just wish I didn't have to leave her."_

_"A friend?" his father asked, not noticing that his son said 'her'._

_Masamune nodded, "Yes, a very, very good friend." He looked out the window quietly and thought to himself, 'who will someday be my wife.'_

* * *

Suddenly, with amazing clarity, it all came back to her. The visit, the promise… The various kisses. She looked at Date, seeing him in another light. Maybe that was why the idea of staying in the village and getting pregnant sounded so repulsive to her. Maybe that was why she never looked at any of the men with any sort of longing. She thought this through thoroughly and came to the conclusion of it being the answer.

Noticing her staring Date looked back at her. "Rin?"

She shook her head and said, "Sorry, it's just… I remember everything now. Your visit and our promise."

He smiled and said, "Well, I got one part of it finished."

She blushed, "And the other part?"

"I'll get that part down after I get over my nerves," he laughed, closing his eye as he did so.

"You? Nervous? That's funny, I never thought the One-Eyed Dragon could get nervous."

He shrugged, "Well, behind all this armor, even I'm just one man." The sun was higher now, and Rin realized that it was mid-morning already. Where had Katakura been all this time? It had already been over an hour since he left. _Had she been with Date that long?_

As if reading her thoughts Date said, "It's about time Kojuro forces me out of bed."

"Huh? You get up this late?"

"Late? It's only mid-morning." He laughed, "And actually, he gets me up even earlier. It just takes me awhile to actually get out. I wonder if he's looking for me. I should probably go and-" he stood up to leave but Rin grabbed his hand and pulled him back. He stood in a half-crouch as he looked back at Rin. She was looking down so he couldn't see her facial expression but he laughed and said, "You're going to have to let go Rin, this is kind of an awkward position to stand in."

As if broken out of a spell Rin looked up and said, "Oh… Sorry." She let go and he held his hand out to her. She took it and stood up. Date began walking past her and said, "I'll see you later."

"Masamune."

"Hm?" he turned around, surprised that she had used his first name and in one quick motion Rin leaned up and kissed him quickly on the cheek. She blushed crimson as she held his face gently.

He was dazed for a moment before laughing and saying, "You missed."

She looked quizzically at him when he held her waist and leaned down, pressing his lips firmly against hers. They broke away, both equally red now when Katakura broke in, "Masamune-sama."

The two jumped apart awkwardly and Date cleared his throat, "Hm. Yes, what is it Kojuro?" he seemed disappointed, Katakura noticed, maybe he should have come in later? _No, this is urgent_, he told himself.

"A word from Takeda Shingen. Sarutobi Sasuke has arrived with news."

"Oh, _**alright**_." Masamune half-turned to look at Rin, who still seemed out of it. He smiled and said, "_**See you later**_, Rin." She half-waved unconsciously and he followed Katakura.

As soon as they left Rin placed a trembling hand to her lips, as if she thought they were missing. Her eyes were wide as she continued to stare at the ground.

_What just happened?..._ She wondered.

Things were getting interesting indeed.

* * *

A/N: Yes! Another chapter finished. I am feeling good about this, and this works out perfectly because it's exactly what I need to get the next chapter in, the one I was talking about in the previous chapter (or the one before that, I already forgot).

It's already typed, but I might wait until tomorrow to post it so I have plenty of time to edit it and such.

Also, I think I figured out why this series sounds so jumpy. I think it's because I haven't mentioned any of the original events in the series, like Date's fight with Mitsuhide after Oichi's husband died (I already forgot his name too... lol). The only recent event I remembered to add was Date's men's kidnapping, but only briefly. It's like Date's army just magically appeared at Takeda's manor and decided to party there. Well... Date does like parties... I wonder if I should re-edit some of the previous chapters and make it more clear?

I'll look into it, but for now I just want a break. I got up early to do some stuff and ended up typing this chapter, even though I went to be at about 2:30 in the morning today. ;o; That's the problem with summer, you go to bed super late but sometimes end up waking up waay to early.

I must fix this!

Anyways, thanks for reading this chapter and I hope you continue! :D

Also, a special shout out to Masamune Uchiha who has been faithfully reading and reviewing all my chapters. Thank you soo muuch! :o

She also told me the real names of Date's men. Who would have known they actually had names? Oh well, I think I'll just keep the ones I made up, they seem to fit, yeah?

Oh, and I should probably mention, I was able to add a picture of Rin as the cover picture for this thing (New feature to FanFiction) though it's pretty small. The original picture can be found somewhere in my gallery on deviantArt (link should be on my profile) if you're interested in seeing her character design. I know I don't really explain physical features well (or really, at all) so this might be helpful for anyone who is interested.

Thank you!

ありがとう!

-Jackal


	5. Intoxicated by a Dragon

A/N: Okay, so this is a little unusual, a short little author's note way up here... :D I'm just writing this because this chapter is... A little dark. Actually, I'd say very much so. It deals with rape and teen pregnancy, so I just wanted to give you a fair warning. I'm keeping this series rated T because it doesn't go into detail of either topics (because I really wouldn't know how) but they are mentioned and are minor themes of this chapter. If you skip it, I guess you really won't miss much, just events that are going on during the episode Takeda and Uesugi are attacked but this is the stellar chapter I've mentioned before and worked hard to get up to.

You have been warned, and I hope this doesn't stop you from reading this series!

_**Put ya guns on!**_

* * *

**Chapter Five – Intoxicated by a Dragon**

_Rin arrived just as the sun receded below the horizon. She managed to track down the hut Akechi Mitsuhide had mentioned and she stood quietly hidden in the shadows of the trees surrounding it. She watched for a while, two men were posted outside the door and a few others prowled the grounds. She had a feeling they weren't going to make this easy for her, so Rin stepped out into the open. They saw her right away and she managed to fight off two and scare the rest without a problem. She allowed each of them to run away when they sensed she was too much for them to handle and as one left, they blew into a conch shell, alerting any and every other bandit around of danger. Rin grimaced, but proceeded toward the hut wordlessly._

_She tried jiggling the knob but found it locked. It was one of the few doors that swung in instead of sliding sideways. She crashed her shoulder into the door, but still to no avail. Finally she lost patience and just kicked it down. The room was empty, so Rin assumed that any other men had escaped, if there even had been any, which was just fine. She didn't want to make this too bloody. There were about four rooms total, and she was in the main one. She opened the first door to the left and peeked inside. A few cots, strewn bottles, and a thick smell of unwashed men. Nasty._

_Rin closed the door and checked the room in the center. This room contained a small basin to wash clothes (though Rin doubted this was used very often for that purpose), some drawers, and a back door leading outside which explained how the others got away, if there really were any left before the conch blew._

_Upon opening the third door, she found her sister. She was lying in the center of the room, a small chair pushed against one of the walls in the back and she had pulled herself into a tight little ball. _

"_Hotaru!" Rin cried, throwing open the door and completely forgetting any previous plans of using caution. She ran to the center of the small room cradling her younger sister in her arms like a baby. Her eyes were still shaking as she checked for any major wounds. Overall, Hotaru seemed fine, only a few minor bruises, but it wasn't the small wounds that bothered her._

_It was the fact that she was naked._

_Without thinking, Rin quickly untied the strings of her armor and then her white shitagi, her fingers trembling in the process as she bit back her questions. Finally she got both coverings off and tied them tightly around her sister's small frame. She seemed so small then, so fragile, not with the strong, confident air she had put on a mere 24 hours ago. As soon as she was covered Rin asked, with a sickening feeling growing in the pit of her stomach, "Hotaru. Hotaru, speak to me! What happened, what have they done to you?"_

_Hotaru opened her eyes only a crack, looking at her sister and only now just realizing who was with her at the moment. Immediately, her large blue eyes filled with tears as she whispered, "Big Sister…" _

_Rin's heart stopped then, it had been a long time since she had heard Hotaru call her that and her panic began to grow with the sickness as she asked, "What? What happened? How badly did they hurt you?"_

"_Big sister… I-I couldn't fight back so I think… I think they raped me."_

* * *

"Rin?" called a voice, quietly through the darkness of Takeda manor. "Rin?" this time it was closer, but Rin didn't even bother turning around to face Masamune.

"…Rin." Masamune stopped and then began walking towards her lone figure.

Rin continued staring out the window as she asked in a tired voice, "What do you want Date?"

"I came to tell you that your sister is doing fine. She hasn't been hurt internally during the… Interrogation," he coughed when he said that, unsure of what else to call it, then continued, "And the few bruises she has should heal in about a day or two." Date stopped only a few paces away from Rin and he watched her back.

She was breathing calmly, he could tell as her shoulders moved up and down at a slow pace, that was good, but he knew that she was far from calm. He looked down at her hands which were balled tightly into fists and were visibly shaking. He could only imagine the rage she was going through, if only silently.

"Oh," was her only reply. She continued to stare out the window and Date wished he could say something to make her look at him. To break down so he could hold her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay, even with the knowledge of it being everything but. Something to make her feel safer, and let her know she wasn't alone and didn't have to deal with this by herself.

"Rin." He said again, a little sternly this time.

"_What?_" she asked, more irritable now. Couldn't he see how pissed off she was? Couldn't he just leave her alone so she could deal with this by herself? Her sister wasn't just abused, she was treated like a common animal. How could she ever live with herself knowing this had happened because she hadn't convinced Hotaru to stay within the safety of Takeda's walls?

"You aren't thinking about going after them are you?"

"Of course I am!" she snapped. "As soon as Sasuke gets back with the information I need, I'm going out to kill all of them, and let me promise you, it won't be with mercy." Although Date couldn't see it from behind her, a murderous glint had appeared in Rin's eyes as she continued to glare steadily at the monotonous scenery outside the window. Everything seemed so quiet and peaceful outside, it was hard to believe that only hours ago had everything begun to unravel, with Uesugi's and Takeda's assaults and Hotaru's kidnapping.

"What do you plan on doing?" Date asked, wondering how he could stop her.

"The Crimson Shinigami is not known for showing mercy when she's furious, and I want to make sure those men don't ever forget that in their final breaths," Rin replied immediately, already imagining it. Forget what she had thought earlier, about not making it as bloody as possible, there was going to be a blood bath when she was finished.

"And afterwords?"

"After that, I'm going after the man who set them up. Akechi Mitsuhide."

Takeda's dam had recently been sabotaged and though he managed to hold it off from breaking for a while, he was unable to stop it completely. An unwanted force had come to make it even more impossible to save, and its name being Akechi Mitsuhide.

After Katakura and Date had attacked him, he managed to get away only to run into Rin herself. She was heading towards the dam with more supplies when she saw him, she intervened, and Mitsuhide let a small bit of information slip.

That was how Rin knew something had happened to Hotaru.

* * *

"_Akechi_ _Mitsuhide, you bastard! Now I'll do it, I'll make you pay for what you did to my men!"_

_Rin was about to dismount when Mitsuhide's slippery voice asked, "Are you sure that is a wise idea? Even now, time is slipping away, you know."_

_Rin paused, considering his words when she asked, "…What do you… Mean?"_

_Mitsuhide cackled and Rin scowled. "I mean, I happened to have been in the area, interrogating people for knowledge on you but then an important job like fracturing the dam came up, and I had to leave. I wasn't finished with my interrogation job, I still had to find out more about you when I noticed a young girl. She looked an awful lot like your sister, so I talked with her, and brought her back to a hut just outside of town. What better source was there on information on the Crimson Shinigami than her own blood relative? After she was comfortable, I went out to find some nice interrogation people. They called themselves the Reapers. They knew who I was, even named their little group after me, you might know them, actually."_

_Rin shivered as she thought, the name did sound familiar, but she didn't want to know how familiar. 'So Hotaru did leave after their conversation.'_

_Mitsuhide continued, "And even now, I'm sure they're still questioning her. It's too bad though, I accidentally let slip that she was a relative of yours and I wonder whether they were able to keep their personal feelings away from their work. I mean, with people as dangerous as them, who knows what they're doing now." He cackled again and Rin lost her patience._

"_SHUT UP!" she yelled angrily. She jumped from her horse and threw her fan closed at Mitsuhide. He quickly pulled his horse to the side, just barely dodging as the fan landed straight into the mud. If she had opened it, the fan would have come flying back but Rin didn't care as she glared at the Devil King's general. She landed back on the ground beside her horse and prepared to throw the other fan, this time cracking it open._

_Mitsuhide smirked, "This really is too bad. My scythe has already tasted Takeda's blood and as I've told the One-Eyed Dragon and his Right Eye, overfeeding really is unhealthy." He spurred his horse into a slow walk away as Rin watched him go. "They should be located just a few miles away from here, towards the south. You had better hurry Crimson Shinigami, or else you may not even have a sister left." He spurred his horse to a gallop now, just before Rin could attack again with his back turned._

_For a while, Rin just stood in the heavy rain, staring at her fan which had remained sticking up at a slight angle._

_Although he was a liar, Mitsuhide had an air of truth around his words this time, and Rin decided it couldn't hurt trying. But there were other matters to work with now, what had he said about Takeda?..._

* * *

"Don't do it, Rin," Date said quietly bringing her back from her thoughts.

"And why not?" That got her attention. Date was hit full blast with her anger as she whipped around to look at him, but he stood his ground.

"It'll mess with our plan."

"What plan?" she asked scornfully.

"Our plan of staying low. Look, I know this is a big thorn in your side, but if you go out now we'll be left with one less fighter and you know that my army is still recovering from our last battle against the Devil King. _**Hell**_, I'm still recovering from the bullet wound I got too, you know, despite our battle with your brother."

"So what? I'm not injured," she hissed. "I'm not even a part of your stupid army officially, so you may have me as a temporary enforcement, but I'm still following my own orders as much as yours, and mine include going after all the men who hurt my sister AND that sick bastard who set them up to do it, Mitsuhide Akechi!" she took a deep breath, spitting out her entire thoughts in one breath and she turned her back to Date, crossing her arms stubbornly.

He frowned, wondering what to do now. They were quiet when he suddenly had an idea to make her stay. He snuck away silently, quickly searching for the items he wanted in his room just around the corner.

After a she took a few deep breaths to calm her breathing again, Rin said, "I'm sorry if I'm being out of line or whatever but I need to do this. I have to. For my sister." She turned back around to face Date to apologize more sincerely, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Uh… Date?" she glanced around and jumped a little as he came walking back around a corner. He carried a small cup, a canteen, and an innocent smile.

With that innocent smile he said, "Here. I brought you something that will calm your nerves before you go out." He poured some of the liquid from the canteen into the bamboo cup he held and handed it to her. She took it but eyed it suspiciously. She took a tiny sip and reared back instantly, pulling a face.

"Blegh! What the hell _is_ that? Alcohol?"

Date's grin grew wider as he replied, "Yep. I thought you could use some right about now."

"But Date… I don't drink," Rin said, though already starting to feel the effects of the sake. "Just exactly how strong is that stuff?" she asked, steeling her nerves and taking another sip.

Date couldn't help but grin even wider, "You must really not drink, if two sips have already gotten you dizzy."

Rin nodded, as she closed her eyes and held the cup towards him. "Look, I know you're trying to help, but really, I don't need it and nothing you do or say will change my mind. I'm going out to kill those men whether you like it or not. And I already told you I don't dri-" Date silenced her as he quickly forced his lips against hers. As he did so he made her swallow another large mouthful of sake and she stumbled backwards. She panted quietly as she giggled and said, "Well that was uncalled for."

He held her tightly around the waist so she wouldn't fall and replied calmly, "Now is not the time for you to get your revenge. You're too drunk right now anyways; you might fall off your horse and hurt yourself." Rin smiled serenely and he continued, "I understand what's going on right now, but I'm sorry, I can't let you go after those men, not tonight."

"Go where?" Rin asked, hiccupping and already losing focus on her previous anger. _Damn it Rin, _she told herself, _stop this ridiculousness already, you have to... Avenge your sister... _Her thoughts were breaking up as the alcohol circulated in her system.

But another voice said, _It's late now, and Date is right... You're totally drunk already and you aren't ready to die yet, so let's just stay here for a little and drink some more. We can go out later..._

Date smiled and shrugged, "I don't know, but let's get you somewhere safe, _**okay**_?" Rin nodded and allowed herself to be pulled away by Date.

He led her to the guest room he was given by Takeda, it being much closer to where the infirmary was than hers. He opened the door for her and she walked to the small table in the middle of the room and sat down quietly. She kept her head down and Date wondered whether she was asleep already.

_For someone who gets drunk after one cup of sake, she sure doesn't act it…_ Date thought, a little concerned. _In fact, she doesn't walk any different than she had when she was sober. Exactly how much control does she have over herself?_ He poured another cup of sake and pushed it over to her. He wondered whether she was asleep again when Rin said quietly, "It's all my fault…"

"What is?" Date asked, surprised that she had spoken so clearly this time.

She still wouldn't look up from her lap when she said, "I let this happen. If I hadn't started a fight with her in the first place, or maybe if I had promised to come home soon, she wouldn't have stormed off and gotten caught. I shouldn't have left her side… I already did when she was fourteen, and now I did it again and she got hurt physically _and_ emotionally this time." Large tears formed in her eyes and then slowly plopped onto the table as she closed them tightly, as if she could make it all go away just by forcing her gaze out of the world. "I didn't... Protect her."

"Rin… It's _not _your fault, you couldn't have known they'd go to such extremes and even if you were aware something bad would happen ahead of time, you wouldn't have gotten to their hideout in time, you had Old Man Takeda to worry about." He leaned over the table to her and dragged her hands out of her lap to hold the cup on the table, encouraging her to drink some more.

"No but I… I knew those men Date." She held her cup of sake willingly now, her grip tightening around it as she whispered hoarsely, "those men… I've seen them before, and they knew me too."

"Huh? Are you sure?"

She nodded. "They were bandits from a while ago. You know my village has been stolen from countless of times, mostly from this group, but the village managed to bargain with them. In return of protection, my village gave up everything they had. So they protected us, at least, from other bandits anyways. Men from your army dropped by every so often, but never when they were around, and we were too afraid to sell them out.

"When my brother finally grew old enough to manage weapons, he protected us and drove them away. But they were persistent, and always returned until my brother drove them away again. He never killed any of them or even wounded them fatally, but it was enough to scare them away for small amounts of time. After my brother left the village, he left it up to me to finally stop them. So I did.

"Boy, did I beat them up good." She laughed without mirth and continued, "I finally had enough of their petty games and I let them live but I threatened that if they ever came back, I'd really let them have it. They knew I was a real threat, so they finally left my village alone, but obviously they never forgot completely if they followed Akechi Mitsuhide's 'advice'. I guess I must have really kicked the crap out of them for them to hold such a grudge." She raised the cup to her lips and downed its contents in two gulps, placing it on the table with a little less grace that she had before.

"But the part that really bothers me is the fact that they got my little sister instead of me personally. I'm the big sister. It's my job to protect her from things like this happening. No, it's my job to make sure something like this never happened, by being be her side constantly and I failed!" she slammed her fist against the table, causing the cup to jump a few inches on the table and she placed her forehead on the table, suddenly sobbing. She unclenched her fist and wrapped both her arms around her head as sobs wracked through her body. "I couldn't protect her! How can I live with myself if I can't protect my own family? My own little sister, my poor, poor Hotaru! I-I couldn't-!"

Date got up and squatted beside Rin as he spoke quietly, "Rin…" He was unsure of what to say but he forced comforting words out, "Stop blaming yourself for this. You weren't the cause of this and you couldn't have known that they'd come back for you." He watched her quietly as he placed a hand on the center of her back as her sobs quieted down and soon her breathing returned to normal. She was fast asleep.

Masamune chuckled as he said quietly, "Two cups of sake and you're already out? You weren't kidding when you said you don't drink." He pushed her gently onto his left arm and then hooked his right arm under her legs so he could carry her bridal style to his futon. He pulled the blanket to her chest and sat on his knees at her side, gently stroking her forehead.

He whispered, "I will get you your revenge Rin, for you sister and your army. I'll protect you, I promise, so cheer up and smile again for me, _**okay**_?"

He stood up and slowly made his way towards the door when he heard, "Thank you… Masamune…"

He turned to look back but Rin appeared to be in a deep sleep. He walked back to her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, "I promise." He whispered again. He walked away quietly, wondering, _now where the hell am I going to sleep?_

* * *

"_Big sister! Big sister!" Hotaru called. __She was just eight years old and Rin was fourteen. Although it wasn't unusual for her older sister to disappear from time to time for times ranging from a few hours to a few days, the village always worried and always set off to look for her each time. _Without anyone noticing, Hotaru had managed to slip away and ran straight past the abandoned village to the forest just beyond. She had a gut feeling she knew where Rin had run off to, but no one could know, or she'd probably get into a lot of trouble.

_She reached the heart of the forest, panting as she looked around for her sister._

"_Boo!" Rin called hanging upside down from a giant tree. Hotaru jumped as Rin grinned, "Scared ya, didn't I?"_

"_N-no!" Hotaru said indignantly, "I just didn't expect you to be hanging like that. What the heck are you doing in that tree anyways?"_

_Rin smiled as she jumped down and said, "I was watching the world."_

"_Huh? How could you do that from one tree?"_

_Rin laughed, "I was watching everyone in town really. Life is so much more interesting from above. I wonder if that's how God feels." she looked up to her previous perch, suddenly feeling a strange sense of déjà vu and said, "So did ya need something?"_

_She glanced back at her sister who blushed and said, "Big brother needs you, so I came looking for you…"_

"_Oh?" Rin glanced quizzically at her and Hotaru's blush deepened. Rin laughed as she ruffled Hotaru's silver hair. Although she looked nothing like her or Kaito, she was just as much Rin's sister as Kaito was her brother. Rin grabbed Hotaru into a quick hug and then ran off shouting, "If you're careful, I'll take you with to watch the world! It really is amazing!" _

_She ran off waving and Hotaru called, _"_You know, there's more than just our village in the world!"_

_From farther away she could hear Rin's chuckle and reply, "Well, it's my whole world!"_

* * *

_When Hotaru turned ten her older brother Kaito, who was ten years older than her, left the village on some "important journey" and was never heard from again, but Hotaru didn't mind. Because of the large age gap between the two, they had never been as close as they could have been; he was more like "some adult" who hung around the house to take care of Rin and Hotaru in her eyes. Well, he was the only one who could cook edible meals so maybe he was more like the family cook._

_Actually, now that Hotaru thought about it, he was the only one who took care of the house too, since Rin was totally incompetent with cooking and cleaning so when he was gone, although Hotaru didn't mind, Rin got more stressed out and nothing edible remained safe for long in her hands. She seemed to take things more seriously now at age sixteen and after the most recent bandit attacked, sometimes she failed at putting on a cheery attitude for Hotaru, but Hotaru didn't mind because she was a 'good little sister'. She took up all the cleaning and cooking duties for Rin so she could be more free to do "big sister things", as Hotaru told herself._

_It wasn't until Hotaru turned fourteen and Rin twenty when Hotaru experienced true anger. The Sengoku Period was over a century old and was still going strong. It wasn't until recently that Rin decided that, she too, wanted to join the fight. It was to ensure a safe future for Hotaru, she said, but really, Hotaru knew that it was her sudden lust for battle that made her join. To become more like their brother and father, who had died many years before. Or really, disappeared since they never recovered his body._

_The war had already taken away their parents and quite possibly their brother, no way was Hotaru going to let Rin just walk away. They argued. They fought. Hotaru pleaded, even got on her hands and knees to beg Rin not to leave, but none of it worked. _

_The next thing she knew, she was awake in her own bed at home the next morning and Rin was gone. Rin Kazehaya had simply vanished, just like their brother. That was when Hotaru swore an oath to bring Rin back home. Someday. From then she decided to visit their mother more often, suddenly in her interest to take care of someone, anyone. _

_For as long as she could remember, Kaito, Rin, and her had lived in a separate house from their mother, who remained in a vegetative sort of state on the other side of town in their original home. She had become cold and distant ever since news of her husband's death became known, many years before. Rin had even said once that Ayaka Kazehaya had become a completely different person whose emotions changed as quickly as a gunshot, first quiet and somber then angry and violent._

_Hotaru didn't remember her because the three had moved out when she was five, but she felt that it was in her best interest to get to know her mother more. It took a while, years even, before she could finally get her mother to open up to her. More and more she began opening up to her remaining child and soon Ayaka Kazehaya became fond of Hotaru and they shared a true relationship between mother and daughter. Hotaru guessed that maybe Rin's departure had been for the better, since now she was able to become closer to her mother, but she was still angry and Ayaka shared her anger which relieved Hotaru to no end._

_From time to time, Hotaru got news of her older sister's wanderings but nothing definite. It wasn't until months later that she finally heard "a rather attractive young lady has joined forces with Date Masamune, and has apparently taken out several of his men for abuse. She must be the only woman I've ever known to work for him, must be a sort of mercenary. What was her name? Oh, Rin Kazehaya, I suppose. An odd name, kind of sounds familiar though." _

_It had to be her, no, it was her. Hotaru decided. But how could it be? Her sister had remained an enigma for over two years; it could have been another Rin. And anyways, who'd look twice at the dirty little girl who ran around hanging out in trees, the girl Hotaru remembered so well?_

_But then, Kazehaya wasn't a rather popular last name, nor was Rin, so Hotaru set off, she wouldn't know until she tried._

* * *

Hotaru woke up, surprised to find herself in a normal room under so many covers. _Where am I? S_he wondered. She pushed herself up and looked around some more when her door slid open, rather hard too. The door bounced back towards the abuser, but she didn't seem to care as she stormed into the room.

"Hotaru Kazehaya!" Rin said in a deadly quiet voice. "Why?"

"Why what?" Hotaru asked, confused. Was this a dream?

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rin asked, tears pricking her eyes. She blinked them away, refusing to show a weakness in front of her sister.

"T-tell you what?" Hotaru asked, now entirely confused.

"Why didn't you tell me you were already pregnant?" Rin yelled.

* * *

That morning Rin had woken up to a small headache, trying to recall the previous night's events but coming up with nothing and wondering how she ended up in this room. With a sudden jolt she remembered her sister's predicament.

"Oh, _**shit**_!" she whispered loudly. She threw the covers off and rushed out the door, as fast as a bullet. She ran straight towards where the head doctor slept. She banged on the door and continued doing so until a man in his late fifties opened the door, looking quite annoyed that his sleep had been interrupted.

"Doctor!" Rin said, rather loudly. She grimaced as the shout had hurt her more than it annoyed the doctor. She took a deep breath to calm her breathing and said, "My sister, is she alright?"

"Huh?" The doctor looked confused for a second before saying, "Oh, the young lady who was brought in last night?"

Rin nodded quickly, grimacing again as her head began to thrum quietly. Why does it hurt so much?

"Well, there seems to be a confusion," he said. "Although it seems that this only just happened last night, we seem to find that she is already at least two or three months pregnant."

_Pregnant... Pregnant!... Pregnant?... _The word resounded in Rin's head and she stuttered, "T-two or three months pregnant? Are you sure?" The doctor nodded meekly as Rin took off again, running straight to the room she remembered her sister to be in. She threw the door open with such a force it started to slide right back to her but she ignored it as she stormed in.

"Hotaru Kazehaya!" Rin said in a deadly quiet voice. "Why?"

"Why what?" Hotaru asked, looking confused.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rin asked, tears pricking her eyes. She blinked them away, refusing to show a weakness in front of her sister.

"T-tell you what?" Hotaru asked again.

"Why didn't you tell me you were already pregnant?" Rin yelled.

Hotaru was quietly amused for a second until her sister's words seemed to break through to her head. "I-I'm already pregnant?" she asked.

Rin nodded furiously and said, "as if you didn't already know?"

Hotaru flinched and admitted, "Well, while you were away I… I guess I did get a little busy and I met… Asaoka… In the village."

"And you… _did it_?" Rin hissed, unable to force the word sex through her mouth.

Hotaru blushed deeply and looked down at her clasped hands which shook only slightly. It was enough of an answer for Rin to shout, ""Why? Why Hotaru? How could you do this?" Finally she broke down and collapsed to her knees, sitting on her palms and knees. She closed her eyes as she said, "How could you do this Hotaru? You're only sixteen and you're-!" for the second time in twelve hours Rin Kazehaya experienced racking sobs throughout her body, which is more than she could say she had felt in ten years.

Hotaru could only sit in a numbed silence until her courage finally returned, "Well, like you can talk! I'm sure you've slept countless of time with Date! As if I haven't seen the way he looks at you? Or how you two were that day I first visited? I saw you two, I _heard_ you two!"

Rin snapped her head up to look her sister straight in the eyes, ignoring the last part for the moment. "Actually," she said, "I haven't and it's not of your concern even if I have. I'm twenty-two Hotaru, and you're only sixteen. Unlike you, I'm actually of legal age to have children."

"Of legal age?" Hotaru scoffed. "There's no law against having kids at an early age."

"Yes there is." Rin said coldly. She stood up and stared down at Hotaru and it took all of Hotaru's energy to stop herself from visibly shaking. "Especially if it's with someone over your age when you're still considered a child. I remember Asaoka, he was only two years younger than me, so what, he's twenty now?"

Hotaru began to sweat as she said, "Shut up! I'm not a kid anymore! You made sure of that when you left me alone with mom. Because of you, my innocence has been stripped away a long time ago, so don't you dare call me a child-!" In two short strides Rin had crossed the room and grabbed the collar of Hotaru's white yukata, then slapped her smartly across the face. Hotaru's head spun to the side and she placed a small hand over where it stung as she looked back at her sister's furious face.

"Big sister…" she whispered.

Rin dropped her collar and turned her back to Hotaru saying coldly, "For once in your life _think_ Hotaru. Because of this, you have no idea how your life will turn out. In about six or seven months, you're going to have a _child_ to take care of."

The two sat in shocked silence until Rin started to leave. She opened the slide door all the way which had only been partially open before and just as she was sliding the door shut again she heard Hotaru force out, "Asaoka's a nice guy, okay? He promised he'd take care of me…"

Rin kept her hands gripped to the handle of the door as she closed her eyes and said immediately, "Well he lied." She closed the door tightly behind her back and as she heard the soft sobbing of her sister through it and finished, her eyes opening again, "He always does."

Rin turned the corner of the hallway, ready to head back to the room she woke up in when Katakura met her halfway. "Rin." He said, not too surprised.

"Huh? Oh, Katakura. Sorry, but could you tell me where Date is? I need to talk to him."

Kojuro shrugged and said, "He said he had business to take care of, early this morning."

"Oh…" Rin said, disappointed, she looked away as she tried organizing her thoughts and find something to excuse herself with. Why was she so disappointed all of a sudden? Only a few weeks ago had she told Oremoto that he and Date could go to hell for all she cared, and now she actually wanted his company?

"You know," Kojuro said breaking the silence, "You shouldn't be so hard on her."

"Heh?" Rin looked back at him as he gazed steadily at her.

"Your sister." He clarified.

"Oh… So you heard," Rin rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, her fingers just brushing against her long ponytail.

"Well, you two weren't exactly quiet."

"Well what was I supposed to do?" she asked, her hand returning to her side, "Just let it all go like it was nothing?"

"No, but you needn't be so hard. She's young, and she's already been taken advantage of twice in one year. This is probably just as hard on her as it is you, if not more. She didn't know, right?"

Rin glared and said, "Oh, so now you're taking her side? You talk as if you know her well."

Kojuro shrugged again and began walking past her, "Just make sure that you apologize soon."

Rin turned to watch him leave and remembered to ask, "By the way Katakura, who's room is that?" she pointed to the room just up ahead and without turning around he replied, "It's Masamune-sama's."

He continued to walk away as the news hit Rin full force, "What the hell was I doing in _his_ room?" she cried to no one in particular. She trudged back to room and stared inside. There were no signs of anyone being there previously except for the unorganized sheets she had left on the futon. Had her sister been right? Had she really been sleeping with Date without her even knowing it? The idea made her face turn re.

"_This _is his room?" she asked.

"What, you got a problem with it?" came a voice behind her. Rin jumped as she turned to look at the speaker. Date smirked at her and said, "Sorry, my room is just closer to the infirmary than yours, so I had to lead you here."

"L-lead me?" Rin asked, confused.

Date laughed, "Well, you were drunk after all."

"Drunk? But I don't drink!"

"Well you did last night." Date brushed past her and sat down at his table, laying all six swords next to him and taking off his helmet. He brushed some dirt off it with his finger casually.

"How much did I drink?" Rin asked, cautiously joining him on the other side.

"Only two cups, you were out cold before I could force another one."

"What? You forced me to?" Rin asked, alarmed. That explains the headache she had that morning and inability to recall the previous night's events right away.

Date laughed again, "It was the only way I could think of to mellow you out and get you out of going after those men." Date shrugged as he stood up again to take off his blue coat. He turned around as he unbuckled his belt first.

"So I still need to do that?" Rin asked quietly. She looked outside thoughtfully. The clouds were still hanging low and grey, as if they were mourning for Takeda and Uesugi. As if they were already dead.

Date glanced behind him and smiled, saying, "Nope. I already did that for you."

"Huh? But what about your bullet wound?" Rin asked, suddenly more concerned. Date shrugged casually again, starting to remove his armor. "I thought you re-opened it after our last battle with Kaito."

He shrugged again, "I'm fine now, it seems much better."

"But where did you sleep last night?" Rin asked.

"Just in your room." Date turned his head to hide his smile, _this is getting interesting. _He took off his shirt and checked the bandages. Finally, it seemed Rin was aware that he had gotten undressed and she blushed crimson as she hurriedly turned around.

"Jeez, at least give me fair warning before you start undressing."

Date laughed, "_**S**__**orry**_, sometimes I forget you're a woman, with that flat chest of yours and all."

Rin blushed even darker as she said quietly, "Hey, don't push your luck. I may let this one go just because you helped me, but next time I promise to punch you out for saying that. You're already pushing it with your confession of forcing me to drink and sleeping in my room."

Date laughed again and slipped on the white kimono to his hakama. He tied it on and then tied on the pants. He sat back down at the table and said, "So how is your sister?"

Rin didn't turn back to face him when she said quietly, "She… She's pregnant."

"Huh? What? From last night? Maybe it was a good thing I tracked those guys." Date looked thoughtfully outside but Rin shook her head furiously.

"No. Not from last night." She turned around now, sensing the he was finished changing, but she kept her head down and continued looking into her lap.

"You mean… She was already pregnant, before this happened?"

Rin nodded and said quietly, "With a man from my old village. After my brother and I left, she got more acquainted with our mother but… She was still left without a source of protection so I guess it's really no wonder she chose someone so soon. He told her he would protect her, after all. It's just… She's only sixteen. I'm sure in other areas there are girls even younger and already giving birth but… She's my sister. I just… How could she have done this so soon? Before _I_ have even?"

Date looked back outside again and said, "You know, even though we only just got back together, we've known each other for a long time. We could do it right now if you wanted."

Rin snapped her head to stare at him incredulously. This was hardly a time to be joking. Date felt her gaze and looked back, laughing, "Hey, I was only joking. No way would I want to do it with another guy."

She glared, "Yeah? Well… _**Stuff it**_!"

she couldn't come up with a suitable insult so instead she got up abruptly and started marching towards the door.

"And where do you think _you're_ going?" Date asked, still laughing.

"Away from you!" she yelled back, slamming the door.

"She didn't get the message, did she?" Masamune chuckled, "Sometimes, I guess you just gotta be blunt with her."

* * *

A/N: Okay, not so bad right? I hope not. I'm surprised I didn't feel squirm-ish writing this chapter, because I usually do about topics like these. I actually handled it pretty calmly. lol

Ummm... So that's basically everything I wanted to say.

I feel like Date's and Rin's relationship has regressed a little after that last conversation... Kind of takes away the romance I built up in the last chapter... I actually wasn't planning on posting this chapter today, since two chapters in one day _is_ a little overwhelming for the few (and awesomely superly cool) people who bother reading it, but after I woke up (I fell asleep as soon as I posted the last chapter... -w-'') I felt the need to continue and here it is.

I hope you made it past this chapter, and I promise it won't come up again!

Thank you for reading and I hope you continue!

(Though the next chapter won't be out for awhile since I'm going away for awhile... It is summer break near me after all...)

ありがとう!

-Jackal

(By the way, has anyone noticed that Maka's presence has been wiped away entirely? Like, she didn't even exist? I'm gonna try bringing her back in the next chapter, so I hope I can write a good excuse for her absence. Every character needs their rival around, they're what make things interesting!)


	6. Extra: Chapter 5 point 5

****This chapter has no correlation to the previous chapter's events.****

**Extra Chapter 5.5**

"Date."

"_**What**_?" Masamune asked irritably.

"Please?" Rin asked, looking over at him with the most innocent eyes she could muster.

"No." Date turned over to lie on his opposite shoulder so he didn't have to look at Rin who pouted.

"Pleeeeease?" Rin stretched the word out, in another attempt to try and break his resolve.

"_**No**_."

"Come on Date, stop being so uptight. That's what you always tell me, right?"

"Rin? No. I already told you 'no' at least a hundred times, the answer isn't going to change anytime soon."

Rin sighed heavily as she continued to leaf through the book in front of her, though not really paying attention to its contents. _And he still won't budge…_ Rin stuck her tongue out at Date's back and thought.

"Daate~?" She asked a sing-song voice this time.

Masamune sighed again, "Whaat~?" he asked, trying to mimic her.

She crawled over to him to push onto his upright shoulder and leaned down so her face was close to his and her hips stuck in the air. "Please?"

He was only slightly more hesitant before saying firmly, "_**No**_."

_He's letting up!_ Rin thought, feeling more victorious. She grinned to herself this time before she continued, "Please Date. Can I at least have her as a pet? A servant? … An adopted daughter?"

Date closed his eye wearily and began saying, "Rin, no, I already told you-" he flipped over, ready to launch into every reason why they shouldn't take the little girl in when his eye met both of hers. He froze. _When did she even get so close?_

"Yes?" Rin asked innocently, large black eyes sparkling sweetly, though Date could see the true mischievousness behind them. She smiled widely, sensing his hesitation.

"I… T-told you-" Date stammered this time, feeling his resolve weaken in a matter of seconds. "I… Told… You…"

Rin smiled seductively this time, "Yeees~?" She didn't mind taking advantage of her female status, so long as it was to get her way. … And Date.

Date's flushed cheeks puffed up as he held his breath and tried containing what he was going to say until finally he exploded and said with a defeated sigh, "Alright, _alright_! I'll let you have her as a maid or something…" Rin threw a victorious fist to the air as she cheered. She gave him a quick kiss on his exposed cheek and stood up, already getting ready to visit where the "dangerous" general of the north occupied.

"But I'm adding the price of her to your debt under me." Rin froze in mid-leap, landing painfully on her face when she failed to land on her feet.

"Wh-what?" she cried, quickly recovering and crawling back to Date to stare at him.

He smirked and said, "You heard me, _**darling**_." He took her chin gently and kissed her parted lips, which were still open due to shock. He winked just to add the effect, then stood up and stretched. He looked outside and said, "Just your typical summer day, eh Rin?"

Rin huffed, "You got that right." She muttered. Suddenly the whole afternoon seemed sour after that one remark.

* * *

"_**So**__, Rin your job tonight is to defeat the rebel group up in the north of here, and conquer. __**Okay**__?" Date looked up from his papers as Rin bowed._

"_Yes sir."_

"_Pfft…" Date tried holding in a laugh and then failed, suddenly laughing out loud, "You know, I was only kidding about being formal around me 24/7. You can loosen up when it's only us."_

_Rin relaxed her stance as she smiled, "Of course Date."_

"_And what else did I say about using my first name?"_

"_Eh? I-I could never do that, not unless it's really important!" Rin flushed, trying to think of an excuse so she could save his first name for 'special' occasions. _

"_But what about-" Date shook his head and laughed, "Never mind. Anyways, this should be a pretty easy job, and I'm actually coming with tonight."_

"_Oh? What about Katakura?"_

_Date stood up and moved to the front of his desk to sit on the edge of it and saying calmly, "I told him he could relax because I'll have you by my side."_

"_Eh? So it'll be… Just you and m-me?..." Rin asked, her cheeks flushing again._

"_Well, you, me, and about 100 other men."_

_Rin's blush deepened, this time because of embarrassment and she quickly covered, "Of course." How could she have been so dumb? Of course there would be the troops to consider… Foolish. She looked away as she posed her next question, "But… Date… Don't you think it unwise to only lead 100 men? That's really not a big troop in… Any standards of warfare, really… N-not that I doubt you, of course!"_

_Date only laughed again, "It'll be fine Rin, I know how you feel about taking small troops onto battlefields of any sort now, but this time you really have to trust me. My sources are completely trustworthy and Itsuki's army is full of peasants and should be total pushovers. Plus, they don't have guns. Only bows and arrows which I know are pretty easy to deflect, right?"_

_Rin continued looking away from him and answered hesitantly, "Yes… sir." Date frowned as he walked closer to her and quickly pulled her close. He lifted her chin now, forcing her gaze onto his._

"_What did I tell you about being uptight when we're alone?"_

"_T-to not be…" Rin said, already knowing the answer but distracted by his one good eye which looked right at her._

_Date grinned, "__**Good girl**__." He pressed his lips against hers firmly and she reached up to grip his jacket tightly as if not admitting that she wanted this but allowing it to happen and returning some of the passion. He pulled her in even closer as he forced all of his passion and lust into the single kiss. He knew how she felt about sex, especially since her sister's rape so he never pressed her about it as much anymore, but that didn't contain his want, which still remained at large._

_A knock on his sliding door broke them apart and Date looked towards it. Rin tried pushing herself away but Date only tightened his grip. He was not going to let her push him away this time, whoever was outside was going to see them together whether she liked it or not, and he could tell it was the latter for her._

"_Come-" Date started but Rin quickly clamped her fingers around his mouth to silence him and shook her head furiously, looking up at him with large eyes. _

_So she really didn't want to be seen together with him like this? Date felt slightly hurt by this but shrugged and nodded that he understood. "Yes?" He asked instead. "I'd open the door __but my arms are kind of full _and the door seems to be jammed." He looked back at Rin for her approval but she had looked away, avoiding his gaze yet again. She always did that when she's ashamed or especially embarrassed. 

"_Masamune-Sama," Katakura's voice called back, loudly to make sure he could be heard through the door. "It's about time you left for Itsuki's territory. If you don't leave soon, it'll be too late for an accurate attack."_

"_**Thanks** Kojuro, I'll think about it." He loosened his grip only slightly when Rin finally stopped struggling, apparently more comfortable with this situation than what would of come before._

"_But sir-" Katakura called._

"_Sorry Kojuro, I'm a little busy right now. But don't worry, I'll leave soon."_

_Katakura sighed loudly enough for Masamune to hear but said, "Alright sir, and don't forget to warn Rin as well."_

_Date grinned as he eyed Rin, "Don't worry, I have a feeling she already knows."_

"_Masamune-sama?"_

"_You're dismissed Kojuro."_

"_Sir." Katakura bowed to the closed door and started to walk away. "Oh, and I'll get someone to fix your door later..."_

_When he sensed that he was gone, Date leaned his forehead down to lay it on top of Rin's and said, "You know, you should really get over your embarrassment of being seen with me, it's kind of depressing."_

_Rin's blush, which had faded before now, heated up again as she looked up to face Date, "I'm sorry Date… It's just… I don't want anyone to think badly of you and I thought… Being with me would…" she trailed off, not wanting to complete her sentence as Date's eye bored into hers again._

_Date smiled and said, "Don't worry. I doubt any of the guys would think so badly of me, but even if they did, I wouldn't care. It's you I care about, __**you see**__?" He kissed her gently on the forehead and she buried it into his shoulder, her grip tightening even more now._

"_I love you… Masamune…" she finally mumbled half-hoping he wouldn't hear and half-hoping he would._

_It was muffled sounding to her, but to him he could hear her as clearly as if she had shouted it, Date smiled again as he held her tightly, "I know Rin… __**My**__ Rin…"_

* * *

_They left sometime after that, not talking much as they sped past various landscapes. The further they went up north, the whiter the area got and the colder. Soon they would stop in an area where the whole ground was covered with snow and snowstorms as often occurrences as rain was in their area. It was hard to believe such a place existed only a few hours away from Date's own territory._

_It wasn't until after a few hours of travel that temperature had actually noticeably dropped. It began to snow lightly, but the army continued its never wavering journey to meet their goal: the destruction of Itsuki's rebel forces._

_Rin didn't really know much about this general, only that she was young and carried an enormous sledgehammer, but she trusted Date's knowledge and continued on. Whether the enemy general was a man or a woman didn't matter to her. All that did was that all of Japan would soon belong under Date's reign, and she would be the one to help him get it. Well, her and Katakura of course, she reminded herself._

_It was nightfall by the time they stopped for camp only a few miles away from Itsuki's own village. They were planning on launching their attacks in only a few hours and Rin could tell their cavalry were grateful for a rest. She watched them and then the flickering of the flames in the fire pit they created. Guard duty wasn't exactly a productive job, but she didn't mind it. It was quiet. And peaceful. _

_Sometimes it made her forget how dangerous people really were when they were so quiet at night. She pulled the blanket around herself more tightly as she turned around to look into the distance. It was difficult, but she thought she could make out just the faint outlines of the village. It seemed so small from here, Date wasn't kidding when he said the village would be decimated by them._

_It made her a little sad, was this what her own village seemed to the bigger armies? Just little spots easily conquered by a mere 100 men? Although that was a lot of lives to handle at once, it still seemed pretty small to her, but then, she had never had to conquer such small areas before… She never had the need, being a mercenary and all..._

_She jumped when another blanket was wrapped around her and looked up to see Date. He smiled as he sat down next to her and said casually, "__**Yo**__."_

"_D-Date…"_

_He grinned as he wrapped his own arm around her shoulders. "Having fun yet?"_

"_Not really, but this isn't about fun…"_

"_No, but you should at least be able to enjoy a few things when you work, right?"_

_Rin shrugged, "I guess…"_

_They were quiet; the only sounds the fire crackling and some of the horses whickering to each other gently. Soft snores could be heard from the tents the men had set up. The snow had stopped but its temperature was relentless and even under two blankets Rin shivered. She pressed in closer to Date and ignored his mischievous smile._

"_Shouldn't you be sleeping about now?" Rin asked, still watching the distant village._

_He shrugged, "I guess, but I'm not really tired so I thought I'd join you here in the bitter cold instead of my nice warm sleeping bag." Rin threw a quick glare at him and he smiled innocently._

"_Suck up…" she muttered. He laughed as he jostled her good-naturedly. They sat quietly together and Rin actually fell asleep. She wasn't even aware of it happening, but the warmth on her back from the fire and Date's comforting presence slowly but surely forced her guard down, and soon she was asleep._

_Date smiled, even warriors had to sleep, it would seem. He took up the guard duty for her and in another hour or so woke her up. He smiled, as he peered into her face and said "wakie-wakie, failure guard."_

"_Heh? I fell asleep?" Rin tried scrambling out of the blankets but Date held her firmly. "Why didn't you wake me up before?"_

"_I just did though."_

_Rin rolled her eyes, "Thanks Captain Obvious, but I meant when I was falling asleep. I shouldn't have let that happen while I was on the job."_

_He smiled casually, "But you looked so cute when you were sleeping, how could I have been as cruel?"_

_She glared at him and huffed, "Creep."_

_He laughed and together they roused the other soldiers. Soon all 102 warriors were marching quietly towards the little village still sleeping soundly and unaware of the dangers that lurked outside their homes._

* * *

_The attack came quickly and soon an all-out battle had begun. Mini skirmishes raged all around as Rin searched for the leader._

_'Where could she be? She had to have joined the battle somewhere.' She saw a little girl swinging a sledgehammer but she was confused, 'Is that… Itsuki?' She wondered, 'No... No, it couldn't be. Itsuki was supposed to be young, but definitely not a child. Date wouldn't have launched an attack on a child, would he? It must be Itsuki's daughter…'_

_She turned her back to continue searching, quickly dodging a thrust of one man's spear and then slitting his throat with a flick of her fan. 'Where is…'_

_Suddenly a voice yelled, "Kazehaya Rin, I challenge you! I, Itsuki, challenge Kazehaya Rin to a full battle, no holding back!"_

_She turned around and saw the little girl again, her shoulders heaving up and down with anger and arousal. "Heh?" Her eyes widened with realization, "Y-you're Itsuki? The leader of this village?"_

_Itsuki nodded and took a step forward._

"_But you're just a child!" Rin said incredulously, suddenly she didn't feel so confident about this fight. Date had actually launched an attack on a child. She stepped back and Itsuki took another step forward._

"_By defeating you and then the One-Eyed Dragon I'll be able to prove that my little village is more than enough for you and we will end this war!" her accent was thick and Rin couldn't quite place it but she seemed deaf to it all as she kept thinking. "You've trodden on the back of us peasants for far too long, and now it's time to end this!"_

_She jumped, raising her hammer high and Rin was broken out of her reverie. She rolled to the side, managing to dodge it barely as the snow around the hammer exploded. Itsuki lifted the hammer above her head, ready to attack again when Rin quickly launched forward and cut her wrist. Itsuki's grip with her left hand loosened slightly but she swung the hammer yet again, and landed a glancing blow on Rin. Rin just barely had time to block as the hammer swung at her. If it had managed to connect to her, it probably would've broken her arm, but because the hammer __was only wood and Rin had managed to move the fan in time to block it, it only seemed to jar her wrist._

_She jumped back as she tried rotating her right wrist. It wasn't broken, but damn did it hurt. For a little girl, Itsuki had a hell of a lot of strength._

_'But she's still just a child.' Rin reminded herself. 'I can't do this, but how else can I stop her?' She ducked as another swing came for her, aimed at her head. She threw her leg out and swept under Itsuki's legs, tripping her. Before she could reach for her hammer Rin placed a foot on her back, leaning down on her knee to look at Itsuki intently. Furious aqua blue eyes looked back at her with silver bangs lining her forehead, just like Rin's black ones._

_Rin smiled sadly, "You look like a younger version of my sister."_

_Itsuki glared but didn't say anything, as she continued trying to reach for her hammer. Rin looked up as she quickly kicked it away. "I don't want to hurt you. I only want your consent to allow the One-Eyed Dragon to govern this area. **Understand**?"_

_Itsuki shook her head furiously as she spat into Rin's face and said angrily, "No. Now get the h-e double toothpick out of here."_

_Rin smiled as she wiped the spit from her face and listened to Itsuki spell out her swear. "Then you leave me no choice then to-" her attention was pulled off Itsuki as one of Itsuki's men noticed her capture and rushed at Rin. She deflected the spear but during this time of distraction Itsuki wriggled out from under her foot and grabbed her hammer. She made a quick sign in the air and soon Rin noticed how many bows were pointed at her. They all fired at once. Rin easily deflected all the arrows but between the archers, the spearman, and Itsuki it quickly became a hassle._

_ Itsuki aimed for her legs so Rin jumped but she didn't notice in time that the spearman had aimed for her chest so instead of blocking the spear with her fan the spear collided with her left wrist. She grunted as the pain overtook her senses and she quickly counterattacked by throwing her fan closed into the man's forehead. It lodged itself tightly in and she grabbed it again, pulling it out quickly. _

_She grimaced as it came out bloody and tried ignoring the final look of horror on the man's face. Finally she threw her fan to the side where it joined the other one and pulled out her combat knife. With her wounded left wrist and right wrist on handicap Rin realized that her chances of victory were becoming slim._

_Itsuki swung her hammer again and Rin rolled again to the side but this time Itsuki had learned from her previous mistake and quickly threw her foot into Rin's stomach. Rin's eyes widened as she coughed up blood. 'Yup, Itsuki was definitely a ball of strength,' she told herself. She curled herself into a ball as her head swam and Itsuki raised her hammer one more time. "Say good night," Itsuki grimaced as she brought her hammer down and Rin closed her eyes, waiting for her end._

_'I'm sorry Masamune… I didn't… Get to-' she was interrupted as her eyes widened when she heard a small grunt. She pushed herself up as she saw Date tackle Itsuki. He had splintered the hammer and quickly tossed it out of Itsuki's range as he pinned her face to the ground. He gave Rin a quick grin and said, "Should've killed her while you had a chance, Rin."_

_Rin smiled bitterly then coughed. A little blood flecked the snow and Date grimaced as he unsheathed a sword and pointed it to the back of Itsuki's head, "Now, let's finish this quickly, **shall we**?"_

_Itsuki glare at him and Rin shuddered. "Date, no!" _

"_Eh?" Date looked back at her as Rin stood up, wobbling slightly as she did so. _

"_Please Date, she's only a little girl, don't kill her!"_

_Date gritted his teeth and said, "Why not? She's just as responsible for the deaths of hundreds of men as you and I are. If she's going to fight like an adult she should be prepared to die like one as well." He lowered his sword and Itsuki whimpered._

_Rin glared and said, "Please Date she- … She's just a kid who got mixed into this by accident. She never asked to join in on this petty war right?"_

"_You don't know that!" Date yelled, "And if I hadn't intervened in time, she would of killed you as well!"_

_Rin flinched, "Date… Masamune I… If you kill her, I promise that I'll-"_

"_You'll what?" Masamune interrupted, "You're willing to turn your blade on me just to save this kid?"_

_Rin grimaced but nodded as she stood in a shaky fight stance. The two stared at each other heatedly until Rin started coughing again, even harder than before. The coughs racked through her body and she fell to her knees, coughing up another mouthful of blood. Her vision started blurring as she forced out, "Date… Just leave… Her… Alone…" she passed out then and Date sighed._

"_Well no need to work yourself up over one kid." He glanced back at Itsuki and twirled his sword in his hand. Using the butt of his sword, he hit her hard on the back of her head, knocking her out. Sensing that their leader was defeated the men who were fighting slowly started backing down. Their archers had already been killed and they were losing morale quickly._

_He said loudly, so everyone could hear, "We're taking Itsuki as our prisoner of war and if you don't wish to see her dead right now, I suggest you back off." The army all looked to see if it was true and Date held her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. Any of the remaining fighters who had the will to fight suddenly lost it and quickly backed down. Date handed Itsuki to the closest man to him and told him, "take her quickly with you back to Date manor. We'll catch up with you later, but until then have her sleep in one of our guest rooms under heavy protection."_

"_Yes sir!" the soldier bowed and then took Itsuki, placing her carefully on the back of his horse and quickly riding away._

_Dawn was quickly approaching as Date gathered Rin's fans and then Rin who still gripped her combat knife like her lifeline. He sighed and said, "What am I going to do with you? If I had known the Crimson Shinigami had a weakness for kids, I wouldn't have taken you with…" he smiled as he picked her up. "Let's go home."_

_Date's army left that night, leaving about twenty men behind to watch over the village and finally reaching home early that morning._

* * *

DATE MASAMUNE'S POV

Ever since she woke up and was healthy enough to walk about, Rin has been begging me to let her "keep" Itsuki or at least place her under her care. I'm not sure what that girl thinks she can do, or what she wants to do with that squirt, but with an iron resolve and after time and time again I told her. No.

She continued asking.

Day, night, dawn, dusk. When we were training together or sitting peacefully. When we were cuddling (or really, when I was forcing her to sit closer to me than usual) or when we went out. Hell, she even tried bargaining. I almost had a major nosebleed when she said she would let me 'do what I want with her body' if she could take Itsuki. That girl just never knows when to give up.

I remembered her being stubborn when we were kids, but not _this_ stubborn. I wonder what it is about that kid that made Rin so obsessive. She must be really important to her.

It's been about a week since our battle with Itsuki, and after several attempts of escape she finally quieted down. I've only visited her a few times, but it would seem that Rin has visited her almost every hour of the day.

I think Itsuki has calmed down considerably, but man, can she be a brat sometimes. I just don't get it, why is she so interesting to Rin? Every time I go in there to visit, she spits at my feet and snickers. So if that's the kind of respect _I_ get, I can only imagine what she shows Rin…

Speaking of which, I might as well admit it, but I have gotten a little jealous. Rin's always looking for Itsuki these days, and I kind of miss her adorable embarrassment.

It used to be that all I had to do was suggest one tiny naughty thing and it would set Rin off for hours, her face flushing immediately after she realized what I said. Or if I even touched her in any sort of way, whether to hold her hand or hug her, her face would turn even redder than Sanada's jacket.

Now all I have time to do is say something quick and then she's off to see Itsuki. She even brings things in with her some days. It's like she totally forgot that this kid tried murdering her not too long ago.

Maybe that's why I'm so hesitant to let Itsuki out. But then, don't I have the right to worry? I mean, she _did_ almost kill my girlfriend, even if _she's _already over it. Oh, er, sorry. I meant my girl _friend_. The girl who's my friend, not romantically speaking of course. Although I've made it clear to Rin that I want her to be mine, she still won't accept it and I think she's still embarrassed over it. Something about not wanting people to think negative of me, must be a woman thing. I guess we'll just have to take it slowly, and start this thing all over again.

At least she remembered our child hood. Took her long enough. I'm almost glad I let that one comment slip out that night, or she'd probably never remember. That girl. So spacey.

Feh, oh well I guess it wouldn't hurt to give the kid _a little_ freedom, so long as she stays close to Rin. I guess I really have no choice but to let Rin have her 'pet'.

I had better get some serious loving for this. Damn... I should have taken up that previous offer for Rin's body when I had the chance...

* * *

KAZEHAYA RIN'S POV

It's finally happened; I finally got Date to officially free Itsuki! She's not allowed to leave the grounds, but she's able to wander around by herself and we can keep off her bindings permanently, instead of only the hours I visit her. But shh, don't tell Date that. I'd get in so much trouble if he knew that while I visited Itsuki I'd cut off the bindings on her hands and sometimes her feet, then tie them on again before I left.

It took me awhile, but I think she's finally opened up to me and now that she's allowed to wander, I can barely get her off my back. She's so cute~ She reminds me of my sister Hotaru when she was little. Same silver hair and blue eyes and all that.

She never told me her age, but I think Itsuki is about ten or eleven so she really is young. Yet she follows me like a little duckling~ She's so cuuute~. I really love that kid.

Date thinks I've forgotten that she almost killed me at one point, but of course I haven't, I mean, those things are pretty hard to forget but you know? Everyone tries killing you on the battlefield, but you can't keep grudges against them all. And anyways, Itsuki's harmless without her giant sledgehammer.

And speaking of which, I tried lifting that monster myself and could only for about a few minutes, it's amazing how much strength that kid has. It only makes me admire her more though.

I wonder what we should be doing next, now that she's free. I'll just take it slowly and soon she'll gain Date's trust, I believe in her.

And she did. Slowly but surely, the two became closer and closer and soon Date doted on Itsuki almost as much as me. It would seem that Itsuki shared Date's mischievous behavior when it came to tricks and pranks and the two became _**partners in crime**_. Always doing some sort of trick or another to Katakura with his back turned, together. Katakura soon became the 'fatherly figure', being the only one able to stop their tricks and soon 'I'm telling Kojuro!' became one of the worst possible threats between Itsuki and Masamune.

Summer has just begun. Nobunaga had been defeated ages ago, and skirmishes between Takeda, Uesugi, and Date have finally returned to normal.

Yup, summer was definitely back to normal. And with me, Katakura, and Itsuki on his side, Date has nothing to fear. With all three of us, Masamune knows that his army would never falter.

* * *

A/N: Alright, REALLY random chapter eh? I didn't write chapter six because I ... _Still_ don't really have any good ideas, but I introduced the first short story to the series. I'm wondering whether I should add some more of these along the way when I have no ideas for the actual series, because I wasn't really planning on making this series' story line longer than seven chapters, but I didn't want to make a totally new series of one-shots with all my other ideas intended for Date and the 'gang'... And it would get really confusing if these popped up between every other chapter (though to be fair, it wasn't called _Extra _chapter 5._5 _for nothing, it was meant to throw you off the series for a sec!)

They kind of add some fun to it, but they have no correlation to the story I've made up or the original series. At least not yet.

At the end of the series, I'll either split off into a new series entirely my own, excluding season two of Sengoku Basara completely or I'll add random one-shots until I actually watch season two. I'm leaning towards the latter idea.

So, to sum it up, I just wanted to post this chapter before I go off onto a vacation excluding internet connection because it was bothering me all last night and I couldn't fall asleep.

It'll all make sense as soon as I finish the main events of the series~:dummy: (Oh wait, this isn't deviantArt is it?)

Thanks for reading this totally random chapter, and I hope you continue the series!

Thank youuu!

Oh yeah, and as you've obviously noticed I tried using first-person to get some more effects in (and to move the story faster) though I'm not sure it turned out how I wanted it to. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Leave a review for me! :)

-Jackal

(And remember, Kojuro will set your ass straight if you're misbehaving!)


	7. The Final Party with a Dragon

**Chapter Six – The Final Party with a Dragon**

_**Stupid, idiot, moron, jerk. **_Rin went through every insulting English word she knew as she took down more soldiers. _**Loser, dumb ass, fool, bastard. **_She twirled on her heel and cut off the head of an incoming spear, and then its wielder's.

She ran a few more paces further, getting closer to Nobunaga's castle with each step. If it hadn't been for that idiot Masamune, she would probably already be there with him and Yukimura and taking the Devil King out once and for all.

Why wouldn't he let her fight by his side? She was prepared to die for him, he knew that, so why wouldn't he let her?

"Because he loves me…" she muttered to herself. She parried a sword thrust and quickly kicked back her opponent in the stomach, throwing him into a wall and using his own sword to take his life.

The final battle between Nobunaga's army and all the eastern armies had begun, and they had just managed to break through their defenses with the help of their western allies, Motonari Mori and, to Rin's surprise, Motochika Chosokabe.

She had insisted on leaving with Date and Yukimura the first time they left for the Devil King, but with every bit of authority he had, Masamune protested and finally, to both their discouragement, had managed to dissuade her from going.

Though not for long.

Not too long after he and Yukimura had left, Katakura banded Date's previously disbanded army with the other eastern armies and together they all met up with the two again. After catching Yukimura and Masamune in the middle of a battle with Mitsuhide, Katakura managed to persuade them to leave and continue on while he finished the Devil King's general.

As Katakura fought Akechi the other three raced towards Azuchi Castle with the armies for the final battle. Rin was silent while the other two talked to each other but when the cannonballs destroyed the wall and Date looked back to wave at her, she couldn't help but smile and wave back. He may have been a total jerk, but she knew he only did it to keep her away from the Devil King.

She smiled faintly. No matter what he did or said to her, she would always forgive him and find a way to be by his side. Even if he didn't want her there.

She continued her advance towards where she saw the other two disappear.

This was going to be one hell of a _**party**_.

* * *

"_Yukimura…" Rin stopped just behind the Young cub of Kai and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder._

_He wouldn't turn away from his master, but he managed to say in a tired voice, "Hey Rin-Chan…"_

"_How is he?" Rin sat down beside him, holding her hands in her lap as she watched the Tiger of Kai breath in slow breaths. Yukimura shrugged pathetically._

_It was so odd to see Takeda like this, Rin thought. So vulnerable; so human, and not at all like the war god he appeared to be on the battlefield. Not only that, but it was a little disturbing to see him without his iconic headdress, and she had never seen him look so pitiful._

_Rin shuddered. How had one man like Mitsuhide Akechi managed to bring down the great Tiger of Kai? It seemed impossible, and yet it had happened just the previous day. As much as she hated him, she could only imagine the rage Yukimura felt against the other general. _

_Rin looked at him curiously, but there wasn't even a flicker of emotion on Yukimura's face. He remained passive and unreadable, even to her, and not at all like the usual cheerful and slightly hyperactive boy she knew._

_Noticing her stare, Yukimura broke the silence by asking, "So how is… Masamune-Dono?"_

_She shrugged and smiled faintly, "He's doing well… At least, better than he was before and he's been well enough to do some jobs for me, so he seems to be back to normal."_

_Yukimura looked back at her and asked slowly, "Jobs… For you?"_

_She shrugged again, "Well… Just some stuff I wanted to do on my own, but which he intervened."_

"_Oh…" He was silent again so Rin went back to watching Takeda. Finally, Yukimura asked, "So are you and Masamune-Dono… You two are… Seeing each other?"_

_Rin blushed, "Erhm… Somewhat." She laughed awkwardly as her cheeks returned to their normal color, "He has never really asked but I think he assumes so, at least, and I guess that's enough." She smiled._

"_I see…" He turned his face to the side and Rin leaned forward to look at him better. He looked back at her and asked, "What?"_

_Rin leaned back and said, "Nothing. It's just, you seem disappointed."_

_He shrugged, "Not really… But… I guess I had kind of hoped I would find the courage to… Well, I mean, I had wanted to ask you…" He blushed and looked back towards Takeda, as if he would wake up from his unconscious state and give him a nod of encouragement. _

_Rin looked at him blankly for a second until she realized what he said. She blushed lightly but smiled and said, "Oh… Yukimura… I'm sorry I… I didn't know."_

"_It's nothing, I knew you didn't like me…"He looked away and Rin bit her lip, feeling the guilt crawl over her._

_She waved her hands wildly in the air, as if to clear the negative feelings from the air and said, "No, it's not that Yukimura! I like you, really, I do, it's just…" She looked away as she tried to think of something to say._

"_Just what?" he looked at her and she sighed._

"_It's just that… I … Love Date…" She trailed off, getting embarrassed again._

"_Oh…" An awkward silence fell over them and Rin's fingers danced nervously over her knees, an odd habit she did when she sat in seiza and was nervous or uncomfortable._

"_Yukimura…"_

"_What?"_

"_You... Did you really think we would…?"_

_His face burned as he looked away, "N-no, of course not. You've never treated me as anything more than a younger brother but… I… I wanted…"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Rin… I … Like you!" He snapped his head up as he wrapped his arms round her in a crushing hug. His sudden weight caught her off balance and she was thrown off her seiza position. He pulled her close and the only part visible from behind him was her eyes, which softened as she placed her hands against his chest. _

"_Yukimura…" she said gently. "I'm sorry… I had no idea you felt this way. If I had known it earlier, I might have honored your request but… Do you really __love__ me? Are you sure that's what you feel?"_

_He nodded and said, "I've liked you since we first met, and I've always hated it when your job put us on opposing sides… When he gets better, I'm sure Oyakta-Sama will hire you so we can work together and never have to fight again. Rin, I think you're beautiful, you're intelligent, you're … Amazing. I really like you."_

_He pulled back to see her reaction and she smiled, placing a hand on his cheek as she asked, "If you like me as much as you say, how come you've never used the term 'love'?" He looked at her blankly and she continued, "Yukimura… I love you too, but not in the way you want." She ruffled his hair and smiled sadly._

"_Is it because of Masamune-Dono?" Yukimura asked forlornly. She nodded._

"_I'm sorry… Yukimura… But I love him." She managed to free her arm then and then wrapped it around his neck to place it on the back of his head as he burrowed his face into the crook of her neck. "Yukimura…" she murmured. _

"_Am I interrupting something?" Came a familiar voice._

_Rin gasped as Date slid open the shoji just behind Yukimura. Yukimura dropped her in surprise and she fell onto her back. He turned back at her and smiled uneasily, "Sorry, Rin-Chan." She just shook her head as she pushed herself up and rubbed the back of her head._

"_D-Date!" she stuttered, she stood up and said, "Look, this isn't what it looks like."_

"_I'm sure it isn't." he replied in a heated voice._

_Rin bit her lip as she gazed into his furious face. Oh yeah, he was mad. She glanced behind him and felt the pit of her stomach drop when she saw Katakura behind him and not too much further away were his men._

_Caught in the arms of his own rival and not only by Date, but his entire army. This complicated things a bit._

* * *

_Rin huffed as she paced back and forth agitatedly. Only moments ago had Yukimura and Masamune gone to defeat the Devil King, with Date leaving a bitter taste in the air. Not only did he disband his army, but he also dismissed her as well._

_'Date can be so dumb,' she thought, 'forcing his leader status on me like that.' Not only that, but he had basically fired her, so now, technically, she wasn't allowed to interfere with his affairs unless hired again. At least, that was by going by her own set of codes, created way back when she had first become a mercenary and lived with her master. What ever happened to the "we're all equals" motto? Or the "we were best friends back when we were kids, so let's stick together until we die" idea that he always suggested?_

_She shook her head moodily. 'That __**jerk**__. He's such a hypocrite.' She kicked one of the wooden beams and then jumped back, rubbing her foot. 'Well that was a good idea.' She heard a small chuckle behind her and whipped around._

_She relaxed when she saw Katakura who leaned on another beam not too far away. "So are you through sulking and ready to go?"_

_She looked at him curiously, "Go? Go where?"_

"_To meet the Devil King." He smiled and Rin sighed. _

"_Sure, I'd love, but the only thing is I can't."_

_Katakura eyed her, "And why not?"_

"_Because I… It goes against my Mercenary Code." He continued to look at her oddly and she sighed and began listing off her fingers, "I have five rules that have been set by my previous master. Rule number five: Look after my army no matter what the cost. Rule number four: Remain loyal to your initial employer unless the job requires otherwise. Rule number three: Balance all responsibility and keep equality between everyone. Rule number two: Work only jobs that are beneficial to everyone under my command and Rule number one: Never, __**ever**__ get involved unless hired for a job. _

"_I have to back out of this one," she closed her eyes as she suddenly smashed her fist into the pillar and ignored the crunch of her knuckles and soft throbbing that followed. She leaned against it and sighed heavily._

_Katakura smirked as he said, "Says who?" she looked at him warily. "Since when did you even play by the rules? I hate to break it to you Rin, but you've already messed up rules five, three, and two."_

_She shook her head, "Katakura, I-"_

_He cut her off and said, "And what if I said that __I'll__ hire you?"_

_Her eyes widened and she asked, "What? Really?"_

"_Of course. We need everyone we can get," he turned his body so he could look out at the room where Date's army resided, all unsure of what to do. He looked back at her and smiled, "We're going to finish this, together. All of us." He nodded to the side and Rin's eyes widened when she caught sight of what he was looking at._

_Thousands of pairs of eyes looked back at her and hundreds of colored banners swayed in the air with insignias from every Eastern army possible, excluding Date's for now. Red, white, green, yellow… All the colors that represented each army were present. The only one left to add was blue…_

_Finally Rin smiled and said, "You're insane Katakura."_

"_Well, I __am__ the Right Eye of the One-Eyed Dragon. Some of his personality must have rubbed off on me." He smiled wantonly. "So, will you join us, Crimson Shinigami?"_

_Rin laughed and said, "Let's get this __**party **__started."_

* * *

_As Date's army prepared for the incoming battle Rin visited the infirmary once more. Hotaru was still resting in her room, these days just napping and recovering from all that had happened recently, but it wasn't her that Rin wanted to visit._

_It was her old friend Maka._

_She slid open the door and looked into the open room. A pair of loosened ropes lay bunched around the beam in the center of the room and she smiled and said, "Alright Maka, you want to play hide-and-seek?" She walked further in and stood in the center of it with her arms crossed. "__**Ready or not, here I come.**__"_

_Suddenly she side-stepped as a body dropped from the ceiling. As it struck a fist out, Rin caught it by the wrist and twisted it only slightly to the side, forcing the rest of its body into submission. Maka swore, "Damn it! You always win, no matter what I do!"_

_Rin smiled, "That's why I was considered the leader." she let go of Maka and she rubbed her wrist for only half a second before striking out again. Rin ducked and then stood up again as Maka's weight pulled her over, and then throwing Maka onto her back. In her moment of disorientation Rin quickly pulled out a gun and pointed it towards her. _

_Maka glared and said, "So you came in here just to kill me, is that it?"_

_Rin narrowed her eyes and Maka glared back. … Suddenly Rin snorted, her eyes returning to their usual shape and said, "Nah, I came here with a deal." Maka narrowed her gold eyes and Rin continued, "My deal is that if you agree to help us battle against the Devil King, we will give you back your freedom. According to our Mercenary Code, once you agree to do something you have to do it, among others, like not attacking your leader of course. You do remember that at least right?"_

"_Who's this 'we'?" Maka asked suspiciously._

"_The One-Eyed Dragon's army and the other eastern armies."_

_Maka looked away as she considered it, and then asked, "And if I don't?"_

_Rin shrugged as she shifted the gun, making it make its clicking noise. Maka got the point. She glared back at Rin and then sighed, "Fine. I'll do it."_

_Rin smiled brightly as she tossed the gun to Maka, "Then __**let's get to it**__." She started walking away and Maka smirked._

"_You're too trusting Rin." She pointed the gun at Rin's head and Rin whipped around. "As if I'd work under a traitor like you again. Any last words, 'Rin-Sama?'" Rin only smiled benignly and Maka scowled. She pulled the trigger._

_Nothing happened._

_Maka clicked it again._

_Nothing. Now she clicked it rapidly and cursed, "What's going on?"_

_Rin held out a hand and between all five fingers were four bullets. "Looking for these?" she asked casually._

_Maka lunged forward and Rin jumped away. Maka landed on her face and glared up at her, who now held a second gun pointed at Maka's face. She smiled, "I guess this is it Maka."_

_Maka scowled, but shut her eyes tightly and whispered, "Forgive me, Big Brother… I wasn't able to avenge you." She waited for her end to come._

_And she waited._

_And waited._

_She cracked an eye open at Rin, who was still smiling. Finally, she pulled the trigger._

_The gun fired, but no bullet pierced her skull. She looked inquisitively at Rin who said lamely, "__**Bang**__." _

_Maka gaped at her. Another trick? Rin grinned, "You didn't think I'd really kill you, did you?" Maka only stared at her and she explained, "You may want to reload this gun before you go out. I loaded it with blanks." She tossed the gun to Maka and then a small bag of bullets as she started walking out the door. She turned back only slightly and asked, "Well? Are you coming?"_

_Maka was still dazed at what had just happened, but shook her head and asked, "Wait… Rin… Why are you… Doing this?"_

_Rin turned to face her fully now and asked, "Do what?"_

"_Help me. You've just given me a bag with enough bullets to last for over three full out wars and you're going to give me another chance, even though I've insulted you."_

_Rin shook her head and smiled, "Still hung up over honor and pride, eh Maka?" She turned and started walking again as she said, "A leader never abandons their comrades or their army, no matter how bad situations may seem." She turned her head slightly to look back at Maka._

_Maka paused, looking down at the gun and the bullets in her hand and then called out, "Just don't forget! You may have forgiven me, but I will __never__ forgive you for the death of my family. All of them. Prepare to die soon, traitor."_

_Rin watched her quietly, then turned her head away again. She held up a hand, as if to wave good bye and smiled, then said, "That's just fine. But… For this one battle, I only ask that you put aside your grudge and work with me like we have in the past. After that, feel free to find me and I'll show you some real fun." After walking just outside the room she called, "Grab your twin knives down the hall and meet us in the first courtyard, we'll be leaving soon."_

_Maka looked at the bag of bullets. It would seem that her ex-leader had regained her old personality again. Confidence. Pride. Arrogance._

_And stronger than ever._

_After weeks of mourning, Rin Kazehaya was back to her old self, and she was ready to finally avenge her army._

* * *

"_There they are!" Katakura yelled as they got closer to the green, blue, and red lights that issued into the sky._

"_Date!" Rin yelled as they got closer to the burning building. Masamune turned and his eye widened._

"_Rin? The hell are you doing here?"_

"_Well there's gratitude for you," Rin told Katakura with a grin._

_Katakura ran further in and Masamune smiled wryly, "So, you've come, Kojuro. I should have known you'd be the one to get her hopes back up." _

_He shrugged and said, "The Devil King is at Mount Azuchi. I have that on good authority from an Echigo ninja." He glanced at Mitsuhide who stood quietly to the side. "From a great fortress a mountain blanketed by ominous clouds, he is preparing to put the finishing touches on his world under warrior rule. There will never be another opportunity like this. Please lead the army waiting outside to the Devil King! You, too, Sanada Yukimura!"_

"_But I must settle matters with this man!" Yukimura protested._

_Rin took a step forward, "As do I!" she scowled as she watched Mitsuhide, who still stood silently amidst the flames. __"He had his men physically assault my younger sister, tricked me into leading my men into a death trap, and mortally wounded the closest man to a father to me in my life, the Tiger of Kai! No way in hell am I going to let him get away with it!" She whipped out her fans and shouted, "If he's going to die by anyone's hands, it's going to be by mine!"_

"_Leave this to me!" Katakura yelled. "Don't let your personal grievances make you forget the greater cause! What you both swore to yourselves wasn't supposed to be some petty act of revenge!"_

"_It is as you say." Yukimura looked down as he scowled and Rin looked away as well saying, "You're right as always, Katakura…"_

_Masamune sheathed his sword and said, "__**Okay**__. We'll leave things here to you Kojuro."_

"_We entrust this to you Katakura-Dono!" Yukimura called and Rin saluted with her pointer finger and middle finger as she headed outside and grinned. "Careful now, or else we'll have to add you to our list of whom to avenge!"_

"_So, the construction of Azuchi Castle had been completed." Mitsuhide finally spoke when the other three rushed out. "For the final festivities, that may be the more suitable location."_

"_Too bad for you," Katakura said, unsheathing his sword. "You're not wanted there!"_

* * *

_As soon as they got to Azuchi Castle, they had been immediately preoccupied with Nobunaga's defenses. The walls stood well over ten and even twenty feet, and no matter how many explosives they used, nothing could blast the damn thing down._

_They would need something stronger…_

_As if the gods were watching them, help arrived. With a whistle and a boom! a giant cannonball hurtled through the sky and… Made contact with the wall! At last, there was a way in and the armies teemed with excitement._

_More and more cannonballs flew through the air, each one landing somewhere near the fortress and some managing to break it down. "It looks like we have some western allies," Masamune said appraisingly. "I just wish they had better aim… __**Let's move guys**__!"_

_The army was able to advance but Rin quickly pulled Date back before he could run away. "Date!" she yelled._

_He looked at her, and then glanced back at Yukimura who was still moving on ahead without him. Rin looked at him too and said, "I'm sorry… For what happened… For everything, but please, don't go! You can't do this; you can't defeat the Devil King!"_

"_What are you talking about?" Masamune asked incredulous. "Like Kojuro said, there won't be another chance for an attack like this! I have to do this!"_

"_Then… Take me with you! I'll help you! Nobunaga… He's not human. Something about him is evil and inhumane. You can't defeat him." She was crying now. "Please Masamune, don't go, you'll be killed! Let me take your place, I'm worthless, and if I die the army will keep on fighting without me, but if you die we'll all fall apart and it'll be for nothing!"_

_He smiled sadly then as he reached back and cupped her cheek, "Then that's a risk we're going to take. You aren't worthless, and I'm not going to lose you, so just stay here and help the others." He kissed her quickly on the lips and jumped onto the nearest horse then spurring it into motion._

_Rin could only watch as he stopped to pick up Yukimura and they quickly sped off. She yelled, "Just come back safe, you __**idiooooot**__!" _

"_Talk about __**confidence**__!" He yelled back with a wave and cocky grin._

_Rin whispered, "Stupid, I'm not going to let you die like this," as she started running after them._

* * *

Rin looked up to check her progress as she continued to run, not wanting to waste even a second. _Not too much farther now._ Soon she would join the other two and they would defeat Nobunaga. Rin looked up now and her eyes widened.

"No!" she yelled. She could see all too clearly what was going on now. Date was being held by the throat by Nobunaga as Yukimura stood helplessly on the sidelines. She ran even faster, though kept an eye on what was going on. Nobunaga was speaking now and she thought she could hear bits of what he was saying. Something along the lines of taking his other eye instead of killing him, and her heart beat even faster. No, that can't happen, that _couldn't_ happen!

"_**Shit! Damn it!**_" She continued to cuss as she ran as fast as she could. She slid and skidded to a stop to deflect several bullets that seemed to shoot out of nowhere. She turned to see a group of men wielding harquebuses and she scowled. "_**Sorry boys,**_" she yelled. "You've caught me in a bad mood!" She unfolded her fans and whipped them, creating a torrent of air currents, each traveling so fast they cut through the guns and their wielders mercilessly. "Wind Scythe Onslaught!"

She ran past them and swore again when a line of trees blocked her view of the ongoing battle. She continued to push herself even faster.

The closer she got to the battle waging above her, the more she sensed the energy around her.

The power, the courage… The fear in all the men who were fighting and risking their lives to bring this one man down. She felt the energy in the air of everyone around her form together, creating a ring that steadily grew brighter and she watched as the sudden ring rose in the air.

She looked around her, now caught in a small forest and swore again, "At this rate, I'll never make it!" Suddenly Maka appeared beside her, "Need a lift?" she asked with a grin.

"Maka," Rin smiled, "Nice timing!" Maka grabbed her hand and jumped. The two shot into the air and landed on rooftop nearby. From her new view Rin could see just how powerful the circle of energy was becoming. She also watched as Yukimura and Masamune were thrown back into the sky. The ring now surrounded them and she could hardly see the two.

Oda Nobunaga was definitely strong.

She yelled, "Masamune! Yukimura!" and then closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. "May this strengthen you both," she whispered. She could feel the energy from that ring even from where she was and she allowed her own energy to join it. With each passing second, she knew that its strength grew, as did its inhabitants.

She opened her eyes and then shouted, "Masamune!" again as she watched the ring of energy surround the two who seemed to float peacefully in its area. "I believe in you, so just don't die on me yet, _**okay**_?"

From hundreds of feet in the air Date's eye shot open and he yelled, "This is the last shot Sanada Yukimura!"

Yukimura's eyes also opened as he said, "I understand Masamune-Dono!"

Suddenly, the two started spiraling down, their blue and red auras intertwining and circling around each other and all the colors from the ring followed with as they collided against the Devil King's sword.

They all yelled as Nobunaga's sword began to crack and finally, it shattered and Nobunaga was thrown through the roof, where he lay and breathed his final words.

At that moment, it was as if the world had stilled. Time had stopped and calm washed over the land like a flood. The shroud of darkness the Devil King had created seemed to be lifted and slowly the battles on the ground began to slow down as people realized the commotion going above them had ceased. That was when they all came to the final conclusion. The Devil King was dead. The world could finally breathe a sigh of relief. At least for now.

Maka took Rin's hand and smiled, "Rin-Sama, are you ready?" Although she wouldn't admit it, this did seem exactly like how they were before everything had happened. Maka kind of missed it… But she still had to avenge everyone's death. … Just not now.

Rin grinned and said, "_**Let's go**_." Maka jumped high into the air again, towards the One-Eyed Dragon and Young Cub of Kai.

Yukimura was just helping Date up as Rin and Maka landed.

"Masamune!" Rin yelled, crashing into him. She grabbed him tightly around the shoulders and then grabbed Yukimura too, holding them both so tightly, it almost hurt. She loosened slightly when she heard an enormous roar. Cheers sounded behind them and a conch horn blew, signifying a victory.

They had won! And they were all very much alive.

Yukimura laughed as he ducked out of Rin's hold and Rin pushed herself under Date's arm to support him. "Masamune… Yukimura! You did it! You defeated Oda Nobunaga!" she cried, her eyes sparkling and Masamune smiled back warily.

"We _all_ did it," he said as Yukimura supported his other side. "And to think you thought we couldn't do it, shame on you." He grinned as the cheers of the eastern armies grew even louder and she stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"_**No way**_, I always knew you could do it." She winked and he smiled. The Great War against the Devil King was over.

* * *

_Eight Weeks later._

"Long time no see, Sanada Yukimura," Date grinned. Katakura and Rin stood behind him quietly, each only smiling. After the previous war had ended and armies began to retreat, Katakura had dismissed Rin from his services, but Date took her right back, saying that she still needed to relieve her debt.

Rin had protested fiercely, but she knew that this was the only thing keeping her from being hired by another army and having to fight his again. And she definitely didn't want to have to do that again, so she accepted it quickly.

"I have waited impatiently for this day One-Eyed Dragon, Date Masamune! Come, let us have a fair fight!" Yukimura called back, readying himself for the impending battle.

"Perfect. Bring your A-game and let me enjoy this. _**Get up! **_Yah-ha!" Date unsheathed all six swords and ran straight for the younger man.

"Burn ablaze my soul!" Yukimura yelled.

Everything was back to normal. Maka had disappeared almost as soon as Rin had rejoined with Yukimura and Masamune. She left only one of the guns Rin had loaned her which had some dried blood on the muzzle and being the only proof that her grudge against Rin remained.

Hotaru seemed to be up and about again, putting her medical knowledge into good use and she finally managed to get Rin to promise to visit her home village at some point. Maybe not this week, or even the next, but one day, she promised, and a mercenary never goes back on a promise. And that was enough for Hotaru.

At one point, Yukimura had made one last attempt to get Rin to leave Date's services, but with a defeated sigh he had smiled and said, "So I guess we'll be enemies from now on, eh Rin-Chan?" She had smiled and said, "Only if you want us to be." She leaned over her horse and kissed him on the cheek, then with a grin, sped off towards Date Manor; leaving Yukimura with a heated face and a huge grin splitting his face. Maybe what he felt towards Rin wasn't the kind of love he thought it was, but it was still something, and he didn't want it to fade. Not yet, anyways.

Back in the present, Masamune and Yukimura clashed weapons. A large clanging noise resounded over the area they fought in.

And Rin smiled.

* * *

A/N: ... The end.

...

...

...

... Just kidding. Yes, my faithful and wonderful readers! This may be the end of Season one, but I still have to watch season two and when I do, I will continue my horrific story.

At least the plot line, because even though I haven't really gotten to it yet, I gave them eight weeks for short little stories to take place for the Date army.

I'm a sadistic woman.

I've found out that I can watch the original version on YouTube because Funimation is hosting it, so I've been able to get to about episode four or five. Though let me tell you, it's driving me up the freaking wall because it takes so long for the damn thing to buffer.

I'm planning on trying to watch the series twice like I did with season one, so I can get a sense of when it would be the best to add Rin or else it'll come short and too off for my liking (not that it isn't already with the added OC...) But until then, I'll only be writing short stories taking place between the Devil King's war and Toyotomi's; while the armies are still recovering. I actually did re-watch the last episode of season one so I could get the exact dialogue, though this time I watched the original one (since the two times I watched it was on Netflix with the crappy English dub).

Shouldn't be too much of a problem... Right?

By the way, the story I wrote that involved Itsuki doesn't even occur until after Toyotomi's war. I decided that recently because if she joined Masamune's army soon after Nobunaga had been defeated, she would cause too much trouble with the next story line and I'd have to work even harder adding her to the plot in which she has no business in (I think), so I guess you just got to read a super-special-awesome bonus chapter that occurs way after Season Two... Lucky you.

Anyways, I thank all of you who have made it up this far, and I hope you continue reading until I write season two's story! Wish me luck!

_**Put ya guns on!**_

- Jackal


	8. Extra: Chapter 6 point 5 Part One

**Extra Chapter 6.5 Part 1**

"**_Damn it… Damn… Damn…_**" Rin continued to swear in English as she paced back and forth anxiously. Katakura watched her in amusement and he worried she would wear the floorboards down if she went back and forth another time. Even though Katakura had opened all the windows, the room still seemed to be saturated with Rin's anxiety.

It has been over three weeks since the Great War with the Devil King, and Date's army has almost fully recovered already. They were resting up back at Date's manor and looking for new recruits as they built their army yet again.

The battle with Itsuki arose and resettled in only a span of a few days, and she had returned to her own home with the new alliance between her army and Date's. Rin was depressed for a while after Itsuki left, but she managed to break out of it quickly. She knew they would get together again soon.

"Hey Rin," Katakura finally said, attempting to break the silence.

Rin stopped to look over at him, "Hm? Katakura?"

He smiled and said, "You know, you're really going to have to sit down soon, or else you might fall through the floorboards." He stood up and took her gently by the elbow, forcing her to sit down at the table. She allowed him to but even when she sat down she started fidgeting again. "_Rin,_" He said in mock grimness.

She laughed, "Sorry Katakura, it's just… I'm really nervous…" Her fingers fluttered over her knees in sort of dance and she sighed. "I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea… Coming here… No way would Chinatsu-Sama be willing to dissolve the bond between Tamura and Date for one girl like me… It isn't as if she hasn't already made that clear enough…" She looked out the window and her eyes glazed over.

"No…" she murmured, seemingly forgetting he was here. "It definitely wouldn't happen... Who am I even kidding? I never had a chance to begin with…"

Katakura sighed, "Well… You'd be surprised with Masamune-Sama's powers of persuasion. If he wants something, he definitely works to get it."

"Tch," Rin snorted, "Yeah, but what can he do to break the resolve of a hundred-year old lady bent on keeping me out of the family?"

He shrugged, "Have patience Rin, you've made it this far."

Rin groaned and then laid her head on the table. "Yeah, but I'm just not sure if I'll be able to make it any further… I mean, what do I have that Megohime-Sama doesn't?"

"Just be patient." Katakura said simply and Rin groaned again.

"**_This sucks_**," she muttered gloomily.

* * *

_"…Heh?" Rin blinked a few times, then twisted her pinky into her ear to remove the inexistent junk so she could hear more properly. Date hadn't just said what she thought he asked… Had he?_

_"You heard me." He said with a smirk._

_Rin shook her head from side to side in disbelief, "No, I didn't. What did you say?"_

_Masamune sighed as he stepped closer to her and wrapped one arm around her waist and the other behind her head, bringing her ear close to his lips he said, "I said, 'I want you to marry me.'" He grinned as he pulled back to see her reaction._

_She shook her head again, "No... No way. Nuh-uh, I don't believe it."_

_He frowned now and said, "And why not? I told you when we were kids I'd ask you, remember? And you'd said you would accept."_

_"Well… Because… I mean… That was when we were kids, right?" she asked, trying to think of a suitable excuse._

_"So you're saying you don't want to?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly and Rin blushed._

_"N-no, of course I do! It's just…" She looked away and sighed. "The thing is, we're on two totally different levels. You're a powerful daimyo and I'm just… Some village girl who became worthless mercenary... And anyways, we were kids then… We didn't understand anything about anything…"_

_"Oh…" Date stepped back then and looked away. "So you're saying our promise didn't mean anything because we were kids when we made it? I see… So you really don't want to marry me… If that's so, you should've just said it."_

_Rin's face turned a deeper red and she said, "No! ... No… I… I want to, Date, really! It's just that… When we were kids, we didn't understand the differences in class and I didn't realize that you were better than me… That I wouldn't be worthy enough to be called your wife… That's all…"_

_She looked away and he laughed, "Since when did you care about class? Haven't I already shown you it doesn't matter to me?" he grabbed her again and she sighed._

_"Date… I-"_

_"Masamune." He corrected._

_She laughed, "Masamune… We… I know you don't care about it, and I'm sure Katakura would support us, but what about your family? Wouldn't they mind?"_

_He shrugged and said, "I'm sure they'll approve. My father has been gone for a long time now, and I don't even care where the hell my mother's gone, so the only elder able to approve right now is my father's mother, Chinatsu. From what I remember she's a bit of an old ox, but I'm sure she'll come around." He grinned, "So **don't worry**. I'm more concerned about your family than mine. I've never met your parents before."_

_Rin couldn't help but smile. Did he really think it would be that easy? Where on Earth did he get that confidence of his? She shrugged and said, "Well… To be honest, I'm not too sure… My father has been… Gone a long time, like yours and my mother is a little… Out of it…" She looked away nervously._

_"Well, we'll worry about it when the time comes." He held her chin to force him to look at her and kissed her. When they broke apart he asked, "So is it settled?"_

_"Hm? What?"_

_"That we'll marry with our families' consent."_

_She sighed in mock contemplation, "Well… I suppose…"_

_"Heh? What, I can't get you to admit you want it as badly as me?"_

_She laughed, "Doesn't the girl in a relationship always have to play hard to get?"_

_"Only in a shoujo story." He smiled as he leaned down and they kissed again._

_"I love you…" Rin said quietly._

_His grip on her tightened as he said, "I know Rin…"_

* * *

_"Absolutely not." Date Chinatsu said in a calm, loud voice. She sat up straight and kept her gaze steady over the young couple._

_Her voice rang out loudly and Katakura winced slightly when he heard from behind the sliding door. Rin bit her lip, her heart beating slightly faster now. Date stared at the old woman and asked, "But… Why not?" _

_The old lady sighed and said, "For one thing, she isn't of noble birth." Date started protesting but Chinatsu pressed on, "And for another, you already have a betrothed, one who would benefit this family greatly."_

_"Heh?" Date and Rin asked together at the same time. Chinatsu glanced at Rin and she quickly clamped her fingers around her lips, her head bowed as she tried to apologize._

_Chinatsu sighed again, "Oh Young Master Masamune, have you already forgotten? You've known about her for a long time."_

_Date shook his head, "I'm sorry, Obaa-Chan, but I'm afraid I haven't."_

_Chinatsu made a quick motion with her hand and the second door to their right slid open, revealing a young woman with her head bowed._

_"Young Master Masamune, this is your betrothed, Tamura Megohime."_

_"I am Tamura Megohime, only daughter of Tamura Kiyoaki, Guardian of Miharu Castle, pleased to meet your acquaintance." She said in a small voice. Her hair was a beautiful black and when she looked up Rin was amazed with her beauty._

_She had a small doll like face and innocent brown eyes. Her bangs were straight and her hair reached to past her back, almost identical to Rin's though, unlike her, Megohime liked to keep her hair down. It had been awhile since Rin had seen her and she had forgotten how beautiful the daughter of Miharu Castle was._

_Rin glanced at Date who seemed to be as equally shocked as her. "W-well… Now that you mention it, I do sort of remember a sort of promise like this…" He said slowly, and Rin stiffened. "But Obaa-Chan, Chinatsu-Sama, I… I have already decided who my betrothed would be, long before any arrangements to Lady Meoghime had been made."_

_Chinatsu stood up then and said, "I'm sorry, dear Grandson, but it has already been decided that you will marry Lady Megohime. The preparations for the addition of Miharu Castle have already been discussed, and if you hadn't been away for so long, you would already be wed. For now, the wedding will take place one week from today."_

_"One week?" Date yelled, standing up abruptly. "You can't be serious! I'm not prepared for this, and neither will I! I have already decided long ago that I would marry—" _

_Chinatsu glared at him, causing him to stop mid-sentence and she said coldly, "This discussion is over. Your duty lies in the care of Oshu and should come before your personal wishes. Lady Megohime's father is more than enough for our family and will bring much honor. If you really wish for this other lady, you might as well make her a concubine." She spoke as if Rin weren't there and with that, Chinatsu strode off, walking past Megohime who still had her head bowed but finally ended with, "I'm sorry Grandson, but that is our way. Our people must come first."_

_Not too long after Chinatsu left, Megohime had broken away silently with another small dip of her head and the two were left in an awkward silence. Rin glanced up at Masamune, who still stood with his fists clenched._

_"Date…" She said quietly. _

_He looked at her and smiled sadly, "Don't worry Rin… I'll… I'll do something to stop this…"_

_She shook her head as her eyes started watering. It took all of her control to keep her voice from wavering, "No… I… I knew we would never work." _

_She stood up and started leaving but he grabbed her arm, "Hey **wait a minute**!" He gripped her wrist as he searched for something to say. "Rin I… I really didn't know about this and I really want you to be my wife! And you will so just… Just give me time and don't lose hope yet!" He tried forcing her to look at him but she wouldn't and he finally gave up, letting her go and watching her leave quickly._

_How could this possibly work?_

* * *

Back in the present, Rin sighed loudly again to herself for about the umpteenth time.

It had been four days since Lady Chinatsu's firm resolution, and Masamune was no closer breaking it than he had been four days ago.

Rin was right when she had worried about class. To think Masamune had laughed it off like it were nothing. She stuck her tongue out at the scenery outside and sighed again, standing up and stretching.

These days, all she'd been able to do was worry and sleep. She managed to force herself to train for a few hours one day, but when she did her mind was on a completely different topic and she lost interest. She supposed she should try again now, while she had the energy…

"I'll see you later, Katakura, I'm going out," she finally decided.

"Do you want some company?"

She shook her head but smiled, "Nah, I think I'll pass today. I'm kind of in the mood to get hurt." Katakura looked at her in alarm and she laughed, "Don't worry, I won't get too beat up."

"Rin-" he began warningly.

"I think it's Chinatsu-Sama you should be worrying about, not me. If she doesn't let up soon, I have a feeling Date's gonna be royally pissed. The wedding's in three days now, right?" She started leaving the room while muttering, "Definitely not enough time for the old hag to change her mind…"

For a while, Rin had just wandered the town around Lady Chinatsu's manor. Her home was even more impressive than Date's own and wasn't too far away from the eastern coast. You would have thought that it was the main manor with its impressiveness, but it wasn't.

She went to the beach and tried calming her nerves there, watching the waves move in and out for a time. Beach therapy was definitely working until- Nope, the beach only made her look at other happy couples and reminded her that normal couples didn't even have to go through this stage like her.

She tried the little dango shop she had recently started doting on then, hoping a good cup of tea could take her mind off of things. Tea is good for the nerves and dango sweetens things up but- Nope, the shop only made her watch couples feeding each other in various cute sorts of ways and she almost wanted to laugh at her luck.

She walked out of the shop in disgust and walked past the market stands, quietly stewing.

So basically all couples but she and Date had a chance? She laughed loudly, causing people around her to look at her oddly, and she said to herself, "To think it all started when I threw that pebble at him when we were kids… How was I to know it would land me in a predicament like this?"

Without her realizing it, she had ended up on the other side of town and stood just on the edge of a sakura garden. "Heh?" She looked around unable to remember how she got here. "Crap…" She muttered. "I should've been paying attention to where I walked. Dummy." She hit herself on the forehead a few times before looking around again.

She sighed, "Well… As long as I'm here, I might as well look around…" She walked further in and marveled at the sakura trees' beauty. "I wish I were as pretty as you…" she murmured, placing a hand on the trunk of one. "Maybe I'd have better luck then…" She sat down and closed her eyes.

"You plants are so much luckier… You don't have to worry about emotions or class… You just seem to go with the flow in everything."

"Hey now, didn't I tell you not to lose hope yet?" Rin's eyes shot open as she saw Masamune plop himself next to her. He closed his eye and sat quietly, suddenly still.

"Date…" she muttered. She studied him, hoping to see his progress just by looking at his face. He looked tired and stressed, a faint stress mark forming under his left eye and, even though she thought she already knew the answer, asked "Any progress?"

He shot her a quick "what the hell do you think?" look and she smiled gloomily, answering her own question, "No. I guess not." She laughed without mirth and said, "So she's a lot tougher than you thought, huh?"

He nodded and they sat quietly with each other. Date had started breathing evenly and she thought he fell asleep so Rin said, more to herself, "I'm not surprised that your betrothed turned out to be Megohime-Sama… She's more beautiful than I remember. I'm jealous."

This seemed to wake him up and he stared at her in surprise, "Eh? You know her?"

Rin looked back curiously and said, "Of course."

"What? _How_?"

Rin laughed, "You seem to forget that I'm a mercenary. Even though I'm in your service now, I wasn't before, and during my first year I worked for Tamura-Sama for a while." He continued looking at her so she kept talking, "Because we look so similar I was hired to take her place during a certain meeting for negotiations on expanding Miharu's land. We actually grew a little attached to each other but it's been a long time since we ever made contact…"

She looked off into the distance as she remembered and Date settled back. "You're right… I haven't really seen her much, but you do look a lot alike. The only difference is that you keep your hair tied up." He grinned mischievously as he asked, "But now that I think about it, I've never seen you with your hair down, can I?"

Rin eyed him and said, "No way. My ponytail is sacred, and I only ever take it down when I'm sleeping…"

He looked at her, "'Sacred'? And why is that?"

"Well…" She played with a few strands nervously and said, "When we were kids, my older brother said he liked my hair long so I started growing it out for him… And now I guess I've kept it this long because if I cut it, it would be like severing a bond with him… Besides, it's easier to take care of when it's up, and a total pain to tie."

"I see…" He leaned back and they were settled into another silence.

"Hey Rin," he said, moments later.

"Hm?" She asked distractedly, now that she mentioned her brother, she couldn't help but wonder how he was. She had forgotten about her fight with him but now as she thought about it, it had been a while since she had last seen him… Where was he?

"Lend me your lap."

"Heh?" Rin jumped when she heard the sudden request and Date smirked.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything perverted." He raised her hands off her lap and replaced them with his head, laying them on top of his forehead and smiled saying, "See? Nothing so bad…" He trailed off and closed his eye again.

"Are you okay, Masamune?" she asked, moving her left hand to support his head better and her right one on top of his hands which rested on his chest.

"I'm just… Freaking tired… Is all…" He trailed off again… And fell asleep.

Rin smiled, "So, you really must be working hard to change your Grandmother's mind… I'm sorry I doubted you." She brushed his hair off his face and started absentmindedly stroking his forehead.

"He must really love you, to be trying so hard to break our engagement…"

Rin looked up and saw Megohime walking steadily towards her. Rin blushed as she said quickly, "Megohime-Sama… I… I'm sorry; I didn't know you were-… W-well, I mean… I didn't…" She squirmed uncomfortably, unsure of how to stand up without waking Masamune.

Megohime smiled held up a hand which silenced Rin, then spoke calmly, "Just Hime, Rin… You know that."

"Hime," Rin smiled as she repeated her and Megohime continued, "And I know Rin… I know you didn't know about this… I'll try everything in my power to prevent it, for you, but in the end, it isn't up to me or Masamune-Sama…"

Rin looked at her curiously, and Megohime asked, "Is something the matter? Do you not wish for it to end?"

Rin blushed saying, "I'm sorry, I just don't know much about marriages between nobility… Please excuse my ignorance."

Hime smiled and shook her head, "Not at all. But with marriages like these, the parents or guardians create the bond, rarely ever the children."

Rin kept staring at her and she asked, "So… You're saying it's all arranged for you?"

"Basically," Date said suddenly, his eye was still closed and Rin glanced at him. "Hime and I are just pawns on the chessboard to Lady Chinatsu and Tamura. It doesn't matter that I'm technically the head of the Date Clan, even our marriages aren't always our choice."

"It won't matter how much we protest, if land and power is involved, they won't listen to us for trivial matters such as love…" Hime said sadly, looking off to the side.

"But then…" Rin started, "Isn't there another… Way? I mean, if you can't reason with them with love, why not-"

"I could kill Hime," Date stated bluntly. Rin's eyes widened as she stared at him and he looked back at her. "Or she could kill me if she really wanted. Then, even though the marriage would be terminated, the pact would still continue. Though, naturally it would have to be made unobvious." He pushed himself and then stood, saying, "Why not? You have a bit of fire power in you, right, Hime? It should be a fair fight, since I'm not carrying any of my weapons right now. We could fight hand-to-hand and cover the death of either one of us as some sort of freak accident."

"If that is what you wish," Megohime replied simply. They both got into their respective fighting stances and Rin stared at them.

Finally she yelled, "Are you two nuts?" She ran between them and shouted, "No way am I going to let you do this!"

"Step aside Rin, the only way we can finish this is through death," Date said calmly.

Rin shook her head furiously, "**_Like hell_**! There's got to be another way."

The two glared at each other and Date finally let up saying sarcastically, "Then please, share with us your brilliant idea." Rin grit her teeth as she tried saying something but Date continued, "Are you really willing to let this marriage happen and become a concubine for me? Though, maybe that wouldn't be so bad…"

Rin knew he only said that to provoke her and that she shouldn't react, but she couldn't help it as she blushed furiously and shouted, "No way am I going to become some damned concubine!"

"Then what do you propose to do?" he challenged.

"I… I'm not sure but…" Rin bit her lip as she tried thinking.

"I have an idea," Megohime said suddenly. The two looked at her and she stared back without wavering, "You could take my place again."

"Heh?" The other two yelled in surprise. They crowded in closer to her and she continued, "You have done it before, right Rin, you remember? All I would need to do is teach you a few new habits and we'd be all set. You'd be the new Tamura Megohime."

"But… Megohime-Sama… Where would you go?" Rin asked uncertainly.

Megohime smiled and said, "You aren't the only one with a lover she wants to be with."

"Huh? You have… Another suitor?"

Megohime nodded somewhat dreamily, "He lives in a small fishing village not too far away from my home and we met when I visited."

"I see." Rin said, suddenly getting a weird sense of déjà vu. "There's a story I've heard before." She smiled and she could tell Date had the same thoughts as he looked away and grinned. "But… Are you really willing to give up your life of nobility?"

She smiled brightly, "If that's what I have to do to be with him, then so be it. I just needed someone like you to take my place."

"But what about my own family, don't we need their own consent?" Rin asked.

She paused this time before replying, "Well… I'm not sure how your own village goes through marriage ceremonies, but with nobility you assume that both families agree and since you'll be substituting mine for yours, it should be okay… Though, if you really want to get approval from your own you'd have to do it in secret because from the moment you're seen marrying Masamune-Sama you'll be pretending to be me, except maybe behind closed doors." She winked and Rin blushed.

"So it's settled." Masamune said cheerfully, "We'll switch Hime with Rin and then Rin and I will be married." He and Megohime nodded to each other and looked back to see Rin's approval.

Rin stared off into space as she thought. If this all worked out she would really be married to Masamune… _Married… To Masamune…_ "Wait!" Rin finally said, breaking out of her daydream. "It's a great plan you guys, really, but… Maybe for you two. I mean, if we got caught, all you two would receive would be a slap on a wrist and a stern warning. But me… I'd be thrown into prison! I'd be condemned to torture and life underground for treason and the attempt of imposing as a Lady. And let me tell you, I've seen a lot as a mercenary, but I _definitely_ don't want to see the inside of a prison!"

"Then just study well and don't get caught," Date said with a smirk. He pulled her close but Rin frowned.

"That's easy for you to say!" she protested.

"Don't worry Rin, if you could copy me a year ago, you could do it again now. Have faith in yourself. This will be easy, I promise!" Megohime smiled.

"I hate to remind you that the last time I copied you, we almost got caught, but it's the truth." Rin sighed but finally gave in, "What have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

For the next few days, Date continued to argue with his grandmother to try and change her mind one last time while Megohime taught Rin everything she knew and all her habits. It took a lot of persuasion, but finally Megohime managed to force Rin to keep her hair out of her usual ponytail.

As a compromise, Megohime started wearing her hair in a half ponytail, which allowed Rin to do the same for the future and would not make her look suspicious. Megohime's hair was slightly longer than Rin's, and Rin's bangs also slightly longer, so she had Rin quickly cut the ends to mid-back for her and she trimmed Rin's bangs. It wasn't a big difference, but everything mattered during this job.

To change her eye color Rin was given another set of colored contacts similar to the old pair she had used, though these were much stronger to make her black eyes look brown.

They decided that since it was going to be a traditional wedding, they wouldn't need to worry about their complexions and that Megohime would attend the dress preparations to save time for Rin. Rin was only slightly taller than Megohime but Hime had decided it shouldn't serve as a problem.

Everything was set up and by the wedding day they were all prepared. …Yet Rin still had the nagging feeling that something was not right. She fingered the handle of her combat knife which she had tucked carefully into the right sleeve of Megohime's… No… _Her_ wedding kimono, she reminded herself.

She took a shaky breath and moved the knife subtly into the back of her obi. She folded her hands again tightly in her lap, but soon they began their nervous dance on her knees.

After Rin had donned Megohime's kimono, Megohime quickly and skillfully applied Rin's make-up and then worked on her hair. With the dress and make-up, you could hardly tell the difference between the two, but Rin still worried.

This wasn't going to work. Something was going to go awry, she just knew it. Megohime promised to stay around in case anything went wrong, but from there it was up to Rin to make it look convincing.

Could she really make this work?

She screwed her eyes shut and sent a quick prayer to the gods, asking for their divine support, and then stood up.

Only 30 minutes more until she became 'Megohime' Rin Date.

Or died trying.

* * *

It happened suddenly, with smoke pouring everywhere, guests screaming and running away. Rin covered her face with the sleeve of her kimono and she sensed that Masamune had done the same.

They were just in the middle of the san-san-kudo ritual when a bomb had diffused near the eastern wall and smoke billowed in. She tried standing up but was suddenly grabbed around the waist gruffly. She tried elbowing her way out but in her kimono she had very little capability of moving and the grip only tightened as she was whisked away. She was hit on the head and she passed out with her last rueful thought being, _I knew something **crazy** like this would happen_.

* * *

She woke what seemed to be only an hour later groggily and she pushed herself up, rubbing her head. The bells of the ornament in her hair jingled and she looked around. She seemed to be in a cave of some sort and she rushed to the window to look out.

_Where the hell am I? _She wondered. She looked around and tried jiggling the handle of her cell door, but naturally it was locked and she sighed.

So much for her wedding day.

She took another look around and sat back down as she tried loosening her clothes, first her obi and then her kimono. She had seen the Devil King's wife wear her kimono in a similar fashion, and she had tried copying it. _There_, she thought, _at least that gives me a little more room to move._ She sat quietly, only observing the moon and wondering what was going on when the door from outside finally opened.

The door to her cell also opened and a large man in his forties entered with an even larger grin on his face. "Well, well, well… Tamura Megohime, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Rin stared at him but said nothing and pressed herself into the wall in an attempt to look helpless and scared. She glanced at his waist, where she had seen the subtle glint of a ring of keys. They had to be the keys here, and she wondered how she'd be able to get them without his notice.

The man walked closer to her and lifted her chin, "What? Do you think yourself too royal to speak to someone like me? I can sense your fear." She continued her silence and the man also continued, "A lot is going to change around here, so you had better drop that attitude soon, for I will be your new ruler."

Rin couldn't help but smirk then and said, "And how do you plan to do that, Mr. Big-and-Strong? What could someone like you do to defeat the One-Eyed Dragon or his Right Eye? Not to mention his Shadow…" she grinned as she secretly gave herself a high-five for mentioning herself and Katakura.

The man glowered at her and quickly punched her, sending her into the wall just below the window. She grimaced as she felt the sleeve of her kimono soak up a puddle of water and he said, "A win for the Gorou Ayumu army will be a win for the Toyotomi army and after that I'm sure Toyotomi-Sama would gladly reward us for bringing, not only the One-Eyed Dragon, but the Guardian of Miharu Castle and his bratty daughter too. Yes… It will make a fine addition to Toyotomi's rule, wouldn't you agree, 'Megohime-Sama'?"

"Hmph…" Rin smirked as she stood up shakily and said, "Too bad for you…" She wiped her whole wet sleeve across half her face, wiping most of the make-up away and revealing her face, "I am not Tamura Megohime."

She wiped the other half of her face as well as his eyes widened and then she reached behind her, whipped out her knife from her obi and shouted, "My name is Rin Kazehaya, Crimson Shinigami and the faithful Shadow of the One-Eyed Dragon! Prepare to die Gorou Ayumu!" she lunged out and Gorou just managed to dodge the attack as she ran past him.

She kicked him in the back and he crashed into the wall, allowing her to quickly shut the door behind him and lock it.

"What the- How did you-?" Gorou stuttered, seeing the keys in her hand.

She twirled them around her finger and winked, saying casually, "Never hit a woman or she just might pocket your keys." She threw the keys in the air and caught it with one hand, "Well, I'll see ya later Mr. Big-and-Strong! Stay **_cool_** until the Date army arrives."

She ran out the door and quickly locked that one too, pocketing the keys in her obi. _Now where do I go_? She wondered. She didn't recognize any of the area as being close to Date manor. She must have been somewhere out in the country.

She jumped to the side as an arrow landed near her. She glanced up and saw several archers in the trees with their weapons aimed at her. One blew into a conch and it made its annoying warning noise as other men walked out of the surrounding area.

Rin was surrounded as she looked all around. "**_How good_**," She said with a smirk. "Some locals who know the area and can show me the way out."

* * *

"Megohime-Sama! Megohime-Sama! Megohime-Sama is back!"

Rin staggered slightly as she walked closer and closer to Lady Chinatsu's manor. When she got closer the men gasped and she couldn't blame them, she must've really looked like something.

Blood that was not all her own stained her previously white kimono and she had shed a few coats of it to allow for better movement. There were plenty of rips and tears all over, on her and the kimono, and the obi loose around her waist so the folds threatened to slip open. Her hair was askew and she had only been able to put it in a messily fashioned ponytail with the hair ornament she had been wearing.

Grime covered her face and she still gripped her bloodstained knife tightly. She saw Masamune rush out with Katakura and felt him try to support her carefully and she murmured wearily, "I'm back~" she heard the bells jingle in her hair as she collapsed to her knees and passed out.

* * *

_Tweet~ Tweet tweet~ Tweet~?_

Rin's eyes fluttered open to the sound of birds. She pushed herself up quickly but grimaced as she felt an old knife wound threaten to reopen. She felt it and checked her hand for blood.

Nope, seemed okay for now. It was bound quite tightly too.

She looked around, trying to remember what happened when the door next to her slid open. Rin gasped when she saw who it was.

Tamura Kiyoaki.

He was a man in his early sixties with graying hair tied in a topknot over his head and wore a simple black kimono. Rin struggled to get up to bow properly but he held up a hand and sat himself down calmly. Rin settled herself nervously and tried not to fidget as she waited for him to speak.

"Kazehaya Rin… That is your name, correct?" He asked in an oddly calming voice, she nodded mutely. "Yes… I remember you now. You worked under us a long time ago to protect my daughter." She nodded again.

"Yes sir. I was hired to temporarily take her place."

"And I see you have done it again."

Rin blushed, "I-I'm so sorry sir, it's just, I… We-"

He held up a hand again and silenced her. It seemed that Megohime got her calming personality and authoritative air from her father… "I am aware of what happened. My daughter and Masamune-Sama made sure to clear that up this morning, as you were recovering."

Rin bit her lip, "So… You know…?"

"Everything, yes. I am aware that you wish to marry Masamune-Sama and how my daughter would like another, but I'm afraid it just cannot happen." Rin looked away. "The alliance between Date and Tamura is necessary in these times of war. The Date needs willing soldiers and the Tamura need more protection from growing forces."

"But… Sir, um… Does the bond need to be sealed through marriage?" He eyed her and she continued, blushing, "I mean, I understand that your family needs the Date, but couldn't you just form an alliance instead? You don't even need to sacrifice your territory; just work with the Date and in return of cooperation you'll receive protection."

Kiyoaki chuckled, "You must really not want this marriage to occur." Rin blushed deeper and he said, "You are right. Marriage isn't necessarily the key to make this work, but unfortunately, I am growing old. I no longer have the power I need to protect my people and by giving my land to the Date, one of the most powerful families in all of the Land of Rising Sun, I can secure a safe and trustworthy ruler for my people.

"Megohime is a strong young woman, her mother made sure of that before she died, however, as a female I fear people will judge her and want to rebel or seek to overthrow or use her. As the wife of the One-Eyed Dragon I could rest assured that she would be kept safe at all times."

Rin's heart sank as she said, "I understand now…"

Kiyoaki looked at her and smiled, "You know, I have to admire you. You took on a great risk of being caught by pretending to be my daughter without our knowing, and even though you didn't get what you wanted, it ended out working alright for if it had been my daughter those men kidnapped, we would surely be in peril." He patted her good-naturedly on the shoulder as he rose, groaning as he heard his muscles creak. "I am getting old…" He murmured to himself.

Suddenly, Rin had an idea. "Uh, Sir? Tamura-Sama! Wait!" He turned to look at her and she fidgeted, "Well… You see… I think I have an idea about how to make this work."

* * *

Masamune laughed loudly as he said later that night, "So you finally managed to persuade the old man to break the engagement? You're a naughty girl, so what'd you do, use female charm?" He laughed again and Rin sighed.

"You know, that isn't funny. I really could have done that…" Rin rubbed her wrist where one bandage still remained tightly wrapped around. It would seem she would have to fight left-handed with her knife until her right hand healed…

Date choked on the sake he was drinking as he laughed even harder this time and Rin glared as she hit him on the back a little harder than was necessary. "So are you admitting you have? You know, I was only kidding when I thought you were naughty…" he asked, finally recovering. He looked at her with a playful glint in his eye and she could feel her cheeks heat up.

"Of course not!" She shouted, her cheeks flaring even redder as Masamune laughed again and took another drink of sake. Rin held her cup of water and looked away as she sighed, "Why must you always feel the need to make sexual jokes around me?"

"Only because I'm a guy who hasn't had any action in months," He said nonchalantly. He smiled and looked at her innocently and she blushed furiously as she glared.

"Well, _sorry_ that _some_ girls aren't as ready to get sexually harassed as others!" she huffed and he continued to laugh.

"Maybe I'd lessen the jokes up if you would just let me have my fun~" He said in a sort of sing-song voice.

"Yeah right," Rin said moodily, her blush only deepening as she looked away, "If that happened I wouldn't hear the end of it…"

"You wouldn't know until you tried," Date said with a grin. "Come on, it's a free night tonight, we can try it right now even. There are plenty of side alleys and it can be a real adventure, so long as we aren't caught."

Rin shook her head and slammed a fist into the table angrily. She shouted, "Stop changing the subject! You wanted to know what happened, right?"

"Not really… I'm more interested in satisfying my primal needs," he traced a finger along the rim of his cup as he watched her.

Rin huffed and said, "Fine! Then I'm getting out of here! It's not like I drink anyways." She slammed some coins on the table and Date laughed as he stood up as well, also placing his money down with less fury than her, and following.

Rin walked towards the sakura garden, as she was now able to navigate fairly well around the area, and she slowed her pace only slightly as Masamune caught up. "**_Okay_** Rin… I promise to be good if you tell me what happened. I'm _really_ interested." He stifled another laugh and Rin glared.

"I only suggested that I'd be willing to teach Megohime-Sama the art of fighting so she could protect herself when needed. From what I've seen, she has talent; she just needs someone to refine her skill. Her father seemed satisfied, but a little worried because he had wanted to keep her 'pure', but in the end he decided it would be best, and would be the least he could do to repay me for saving his daughter… So he'll finish with the negotiations with Chinatsu-Sama, since she had proposed the marriage in the first place, and we should be okay."

"So in the end, everyone's happy, right?" Date grinned and Rin finally smiled.

"I suppose… But we still have to talk to my family right?"

"**_Piece of cake_**. I mean, who _wouldn't_ want me as a son-in-law?" He laughed and Rin sighed.

"Idiot…"

He grabbed her into a hug and placed his forehead on top of hers. "We've made it this far… And there's no going back from this point. Are you sure you're really willing to become my wife? This is probably your last chance to back out, if you really wanted."

"It's a little late to be asking that, you know," she said with a smile. "Like you've said, we've come too far to back out now. There's no turning back. I'm going to become your wife as soon as we get my mother's permission."

He smiled, and kissed her.

* * *

A/N: Part Two will come around soon.

Several things about this chapter:

- I thought more about adding Megohime as a character to the story, but the main problem was adding her without breaking up my pairing (as totally bitchy as that sounds). Plus, it also goes against history so I'm a little unsure of how to play this out. I was planning on killing her off at some point and having Rin take her name, but like I said, I'm not entirely sure and I kind of fell in love with her character (or the little bit that showed up here) already, so I'd rather that didn't happen.

- There wasn't a lot of information on Megohime or her father (or actually any, other than their relationships to the Dates) so I made a lot of stuff up, obviously. I figured that if Megohime were added to the anime series (I'd have a heart-attack if they did because that would screw me over entirely!) her element would be fire. ... I don't know why. The personality I gave her just kind of fits.

- For lack of ideas I just based Megohime's appearance to Rin's with only slight changes i.e, the eyes and length of hair. I'm tho creative!

- I finally made my mind up about the chapter involving Itsuki. It did happen after the battle with Oda Nobunaga, but she went back to her own home afterwords because she has no part in season two (which I finished yesterday! :D) and because I still don't want to weave her in with the next series. Also, because of how I played around with Date and Rin's relationship that chapter it had to have been before this chapter, when Rin gets over her embarrassment and such, so... Turns out Itsuki is a part of the crew, just not on screen... It makes enough sense to me.

- I did look up some more information on traditional Japanese weddings, though was a little disappointed when I couldn't find anything of much use. I think I got the general idea though... The san-san-kudo is, from what I understand, when all the family members take a sip of sake from three different cups which signifies that they're building the 'family bond'. ... Or something like that, I'm not quite sure if I explained it right.

-Tamura Kiyoaki is 60-or so years old here, and although that isn't old now, people back then usually only lived to their late 60's which is why I mention that he's 'getting old' and why he worries about dying soon. I mean, look at the real Date Masamune. He only lived to 69... -sniff- ...

- I noticed that I've never really mentioned why this series was named the way it was. I mean, I tried to this chapter when Rin was fighting Gorou, but only because I remembered to do that only now... Well, the reason is partly because I had no other ideas and partly because I ended up making Rin the "Shadow of the One-Eyed Dragon" in the sense that she always protects his back and Katakura always protects his right side (and back). Eh... Overall, it was lack of creativity and originality to be totally honest. :P

And um... That should pretty much cover everything I needed to say. I wrote a review for myself ('cos I'm dat cool :3) which should also clear some stuff up and my general idea for the series.

Thanks so much to all of you who wrote reviews and have read this series so thoroughly!

_But the journey is not over yet!_

Stay tuned to the next chapter of Sengoku Basara's One-Eyed Dragon and his Shadow!

- Jackal

(... I sound like an episode preview narrator...)


	9. Extra: Chapter 6 point 5 Part Two

**Extra Chapter 6.5 Part 2**

**Date Masamune**

"All this carnage..." I muttered, nudging a man's corpse with my toe. I shook my head and wondered aloud, "Who could have done this?" I continued wandering the previously bustling town of Oshu in the hopes of finding a survivor, but no such luck. "_**Yo**_, Kojuro. You find anything?"

I looked over to my right but Kojuro just shook his head. "Rin? What about you?" I looked to my left at Rin who was staring off in the distance. I sighed, approaching her and saying again, "Rin?" I put a hand on her shoulder and she suddenly pulled away, snapping into focus and quickly reaching for her fans in their holsters on the back of her armor.

When she saw that it was only me she shook her head and relaxed again, walking closer to me and mumbling, "Sorry... No, I haven't found anything." I stared at her but she wouldn't look back at me.

_She's hiding something_, I immediately thought.

I sighed, "_Rin_."

"What?"

"You know something that I don't. What is it?"

"Nothing," she said. I lifted her chin and forced her to look at me and black eyes stared right back without any sort of anxiety.

What is it that she knows that I don't? God, this is _killing _me.

I shook my head and sighed. Along with this and Rin's mysterious disappearances lately, she was becoming increasingly difficult to handle and just plain suspicious.

Did her rebellious behavior and unexplained leavings have anything to do with the villages that were destroyed in little over a night? Rin wouldn't fight anyone she deemed unmatched to her like villagers, let alone kill them. I knew that, but if Rin Kazehaya wasn't, then maybe the Crimson Shinigami was hiding more than she said.

Finally I broke away and yelled, "We've searched the whole area. There are no survivors. _**Let's move guys**_!" I mounted my horse and sped off, not waiting for Kojuro or Rin.

I'm going to find out what Rin is hiding whether she wants me to or not.

* * *

But first, I have to battle my soon-to-be mother-in-law.

Maybe not physically, but this would probably be the toughest battle I will have to fight in my entire life. The hardest part will be keeping quiet.

"_My mother is very, __very__ difficult Masamune. She's changed greatly since my father died... Please Masamune... Promise me you won't say or do anything during this meeting. Let me do the talking and doing. More importantly, no matter __what happens__ stay where you're seated and don't interfere." _That's what Rin had told me the night before...

She even used my first name twice, (only a recent new habit) so I knew it was vital for me to not do anything to stop her mother from... Doing what exactly? Rin never went into detail but she had stared me into the eye with such an intensity I couldn't do anything but agree. But still... What was it she was expecting her mother to do that she wouldn't want my help?

I glanced at Rin, wondering how she was.

She looked completely calm, sitting straight in seiza and staring ahead, but I knew she was nervous. With the way her hands fluttered over her knees, I knew. I smiled, grabbing her hands with my left and squeezing. She smiled back and took a deep breath and I let go.

Alright, we're _**ready to go **_but where's her mother?

As if on cue the door behind us slid open and a woman's cool voice said calmly, "I apologize for the wait, I had other matters to take care of."

A tall woman walked in with the poise and grace of a noble woman and immediately I became intrigued. Only a lady with great status knew how to walk with such grace and with the air of importance the way Rin's mother did. I should really interrogate Rin about her later.

I continued studying Rin's mother as she settled herself on the cushion in front of us. Silver hair cascaded down a red and gold kimono but it wasn't her fancy clothes that really captivated me. It was the plain white mask she wore and the cold blue eyes that looked back without a bit of cowardice or fear, at _me_.

It was as if her eyes were staring straight into me, reading my mind and studying my very being. It was somewhat unnerving and it took pretty much all of my energy not to shudder and keep my calm facade. _I will not react. I will not react. I will not react._

"Mother," Rin said simply, bowing her head. I followed suit and tried studying Rin's expression from the corner of my eye. All traces of nervousness was gone and even her hands had stilled themselves.

Ayaka Kazehaya's eyes continued to hold mine for several more moments when I looked back up before slowly gliding to her daughter's. "It has been many years, Daughter. Remind me how long."

"Over eleven years, Mother," she replied in that same obedient voice. It was as if Rin had become an entirely different person. Serious... Quiet... Obedient.

I'm not sure if I really like this Rin. What happened to my easily flustered and totally adorable Rin who couldn't take any of my jokes without a face redder than Sanada Yukimura's jacket? I miss that Rin.

"Yes. It's been over eleven years since I've seen you last and you have the nerve to come crawling back to me with a favor? You've got guts. They must be your father's." She stood up and walked towards the screen door to our left, staring outside calmly.

"Yes, Mother," Rin replied. She continued staring straight ahead and a movement caught my eye. Her fingers had begun their dance again... I reached over and grasped them again and she flicked her eyes over at me gratefully. This time she slid her hands out of my grasp and I pulled back. "Mother... I wish to marry this man, Date Masamune, and I apologize for coming back so-"

Rin was cut off quickly because in two short strides her mother had walked in front of her and smartly slapped her across the face with the back of her hand. Rin landed on her left side, immediately reaching her hand to touch her right cheek and I moved to stand but suddenly her mother turned her knife-like gaze on me again and I froze.

Bluer than the sky and colder than ice...

Those eyes...

_Those damned eyes!_

Why did they have such a powerful hold over me? Why couldn't I resist those damned eyes?

"Leave," she said simply.

I just stood there, staring back at those beautiful, cruel, blue eyes and finally I managed to tear my gaze away. I looked at Rin and she nodded her head, mouthing quickly, "Go, _go_!" Finally I nodded back and left.

I slid the door behind me quietly and just stood there then, wondering what to do.

Suddenly I had an idea and I quickly pressed my ear against the door. Kojuro spoke up and said, "Masamune-Sama-" but I shushed him and pressed myself even closer.

I listened intently at first with no sound coming through at all but soon the next thing I knew I heard a voice scream, "You little whore!" and the sickening sound of skin being hit resounded and another thump followed.

"I'm sorry, Mother." Rin's voice came clearly, as monotone as before.

"And not some common foot soldier, but the goddamned daimyo himself! Do you have any idea what you've done?" Another sound, this time causing Rin to cry out.

"I'm sorry, Moth-"

"Don't you 'I'm sorry, Mother' me, young lady!" This time the sound of a shattering pot came. I clenched my fists, thinking angrily, _how can I just sit here and listen to this? _I stood up, preparing myself to storm in but Kojuro quickly grabbed me back, shaking his head furiously.

Bastard.

"Let me go!" I whispered fiercely, glaring at him.

He glared right back whispered just as fiercely, "I'm sorry Masamune-sama, but you and I both made a promise to Rin saying we wouldn't interfere. You can't go in!"

_Son of a-!_ Why did I ever make such a _stupid_ promise?

"Tch," I shook him off roughly and turned my attention back to the room.

It had gotten quiet. ... _**Too quiet.**_

What's going on?

I pressed even closer, trying to concentrate but soon I heard the sound of footsteps approaching and I scrambled back to sit next to Kojuro.

The door slammed open and I got up, ready to go and help Rin but her mother immediately turned her gaze on me.

She glared and said simply, "Even the Great Daimyo of Oshu can't make me approve of this marriage. All you soldiers are alike. Worthless savages who only cause pain and misery. There is no chance that I'm going to allow such a marriage with the likes of you." She strode off and I was left in a stunned silence.

What the hell is her problem?

I shook my head. Forget her, Rin needs me. I walked in the room and saw Rin sitting back in seiza calmly and I crouched beside her. Other than a slightly swollen cheek, despite all the noise, she looked _**okay**_... But right now, I wasn't worried about her physical condition, more like her mental condition.

No wonder she didn't want me to interfere. I looked around and saw the broken vase only a few feet behind her. Good, so the vase didn't hurt her... It was only used for the noise.

"Rin."

She smiled wearily and said, "Sorry Masamune, no such luck. But... 'Just give me time and don't give up yet!' That's what you told me before, right?"

I smiled back and offered a hand. She took it and stood up shakily and I pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly. Finally she began crying and I said softly, "It's _**alright**_, Rin... It's _**okay**_."

* * *

**Kazehaya Rin**

"Asaokaaa!" I screamed. I had just finished washing my face after crying my eyes out against Date and was just leaving the meeting building when I caught sight of a familiar head of orange hair.

Asaoka turned around, instantly paling when he caught sight of me and I stormed up to him. He grinned nervously and said, "Kazehaya Rin-chaa-oof!" He wasn't able to complete his sentence when my fist crashed into his jaw. He went spiraling backwards, landing on his back a few feet away and I smiled.

That felt good.

He rubbed his cheek and grimaced, pushing himself up slowly and saying, "I see you're as temperamental as when we were kids..." He moved his jaw back and forth slowly, "Ouch... That hurt. Ah... So, anyways... Other than punching your friends in the face as a hello, how have you been?"

I folded my arms and replied sarcastically, "Oh, just great, _**thanks**_. My sister contacts me little over five weeks ago to try and bring me home, she's pregnant with _your_ baby, and here I am, ready to kick the crap out of you." I quickly unfolded my arms and punched him again on the same cheek. He fell back and I glared at him, "And let me tell you, I... Am _really __**pissed**_ right now. I am _not _your friend."

He got up and held his hands up high, as if surrendering and said, "Look, I don't want to hurt you Rin."

"Oh yeah?" I asked, taking a threatening step forward, "Well I really want to hurt you right now."

Date er... No, _Masamune, _I mean, finally stepped between us, placing a hand on each of our shoulders and saying calmly, "Now, now, you two. Let's not lose our _**cool**_. Let's just try and work this out-"

"Not now, Masamune. I'm busy." I pushed him away without looking and then threw another fist forward, aiming for the same cheek as before.

It seemed that Asaoka got smart this time though, and he quickly caught my fist. I glared and he smiled benignly, "Rin-chan, just let me explain things more thoroughly before you continue. I promise that if you calm down, I'll be able to sort everything out."

I lowered my fist, as if contemplating what he said and he loosened his grip. As soon as he did though, I threw my knee into his stomach and shouted, "_**Like hell!**_" When he curled up I quickly spun around and kicked him again and he flew a few feet before landing painfully.

I glared as he pushed himself up with a groan and I reached behind me for my fans. I slid them out of their holsters, tossing them behind me and then did the same with my knife and Katakura reached out and caught them easily. "Make sure I don't really kill him..." I muttered, already starting to advance again.

After he recovered Asaoka said "You know I don't hit girls, Rin. But I suppose since you threw the first punch, I can't be blamed today." He got up, "Though with such a flat chest, I suppose you wouldn't really be considered a girl anyways."

I scowled. Honestly, did men (stupid Masamune) really feel the need to make fun of my chest? I'm really not lacking that much...

"You cheeky _**brat**_," I said with an annoyed smile. He threw a fist at me and I dodged it easily, ducking and punching him under the jaw this time, "You're too slow!"

He went flying up and then landed with another groan. When he sat back I grabbed his collar and was about to _really _let him have it when I heard, "Heh? Rin? Is that you?"

I turned around to see my sister Hotaru and she instantly smiled. "So it really is you!"

She flung herself at me and I let go of Asaoka. She hugged me tightly and I said, "Hotaru."

As soon as she pulled back she immediately launched into a volley of questions. "Rin! What are you doing here? It's been forever since you've been here! When did you get here? Why are you here? I knew you'd keep your promise!"

I laughed and pulled back saying, "One question at a time, Hotaru."

She grinned and said, "Sorry."

"Anyways… I was here to… Ah… Visit Mother." I cleared my throat and looked away as Hotaru gasped.

"What? Why? It's been years since you've seen her. I mean, I visit her almost every day but you… That was a bold move on your part Rin, you know how much she… Ah… Still dislikes father and you and… Big Brother Kaito…" She trailed off a bit upon saying Kaito's name, as he was still somewhat a stranger to her, and then she asked, "What was so important that you chanced something so risky?"

"W-well… Ahhm… I … Came to… I mean, I want to…" I stumbled, searching for the right words to say.

"We want to get married," cut in a voice. Hotaru flicked blue eyes, a less hostile version of my mother's, at Masamune who came up behind me. He put a hand on my shoulder and pried me away from Hotaru and I looked at him. He grinned back at me and I could feel my face heating up.

Hotaru stared at us uncomprehendingly for a second before a grin broke her entire face and she threw her arms around both of us, "Really? Really? Are you really?"

I finally laughed and said, "Yes but… It seems… Mother doesn't approve."

Hotaru looked back at me and frowned, "I see… It must be because of … Who he is…"

Masamune looked at her oddly and Hotaru laughed, "Ah, sorry! It's not that our mother has anything against you personally Masamune-Sama, it's just that you're a soldier and my mother hasn't really forgiven Father for 'leaving' her… She just hates the war and everyone involved in general." She sighed and asked me, "So she's absolutely against it?"

I nodded and repeated, "Absolutely against it."

Hotaru bit her lip as she thought. "Well… You could always go ahead without her agreement. I mean, you _do_ have Masamune-Sama's family's consent already, right?"

I nodded again. "We do but… I really want Mother's as well."

"Why?"

I looked away, "It's… Complicated." How could I explain that after all these years I had actually wanted to visit my mom without sounding like a child? Not only that, but I had to tell her about… Kaito… I shook my head and Hotaru finally turned and helped Asaoka up.

"Eh? It looks like you took a beating, Asaoka-San," she laughed and Asaoka rubbed his bruised cheek.

"Shut up…" Hotaru hugged him and he finally smiled.

Huh?... Asaoka is… Really going steady with my sister? Maybe I was wrong about him after all… Wait, what the hell am I thinking? Of course I'm not wrong about him! Okay, maybe he really does have feelings for my sister, but he still impregnated her when she was sixteen, and that's something I'll never forgive! Never.

Masamune nudged me and I smiled at him. "So," I said, "Where are you living now? Still at our old home?"

Hotaru shook her head, "No, Asaoka-San and I live closer to Mother now. Ah… Oh… Um… Where will you be staying? I'd offer you a place with us, but we're a little cramped still. Asaoka-San is still adding rooms to our home."

I blushed, "I was just going to stay at home with Masamune and Katakura."

"What? You can't do that, you aren't married yet! And you know how everyone is like here, nothing remains sacred for long, people will be talking about you," Hotaru threw a concerned look at me and I laughed awkwardly.

"That's kind of funny, coming from you…" I muttered under my breath and I sighed, "It's not like we'd be sleeping with each other or anything... There are two rooms and we've got enough mattresses, right?" Masamune coughed and I glared at him. He grinned and looked away innocently. I have a feeling I know exactly what's going on in his mind right now. Idiot.

"But… We only have two futons. Yours and mine, remember? We sold Onii-san's futon that time you… You know…" Masamune coughed again but I knew he was only stifling another laugh. Stop laughing you idiot, this isn't funny!

I sighed. Oh yeah… I had forgotten. That was the time when I couldn't earn enough money for the rent that month. I had no other choice…

"And the floor isn't exactly comfortable," Hotaru continued rationally.

That's true too.

I remember how we had terrible back problems after sleeping one night together on the floor just to see what would happen... It was on a dare from our brother and we wanted to prove him wrong, that the floor would be just as comfortable without bedding, but in the end, as always, he was right... We sure did regret it the next day and we had to take up his chores for the week too. Those were the days...

I looked up, trying to think of what to do.

"You could always go back to mother's home…" Hotaru said quietly. I stared at her and she shrugged, "She may not support your choice in men, but she should at least help you. She was harsh today… I know… But she's not so cold anymore and if it's only you…"

I looked away, was that really my only choice?

"No." I said firmly a moment later. "She's already made it clear that she still hates me as much as ever."

"You know she isn't really like that." Hotaru sighed. "Then what else can you do?"

What else _can_ I do?

"I'll think of something." I said simply and Hotaru let the subject drop.

"Well… It's getting late and I have to go back now, it's almost time for dinner. Do you want to come?"

"Sure, you know I love your cooking." I grinned. I'll think of what to do later…

Hotaru laughed, "Our house is on the north-western side of town, near Daichi's _sake_ tavern. You remember it, right? We live just a few houses down from there."

I nodded, "See you later."

She started walking away with Asaoka and I was about to tell Katakura to go with them, but before I could, Katakura was already following wordlessly. Damn, he's good.

Hotaru waved and I shook my head. She's right… What else can I do…?

"You know, I don't mind sharing." Masamune broke through my thoughts and he grinned as my face turned red.

"Absolutely not. Hotaru's right, I really shouldn't be under the same roof as you, let alone the same bed but…"

Masamune sighed, "Stubborn. But I don't mind sleeping on the floor for a night or two. We can switch. Or I bet Kojuro will do something."

I laughed, "You'll regret saying that one day. Thanks… But no, I guess I'll just have to talk with my mother again."

"You act as if you weren't slapped silly by her just a few hours ago… Why is that?"

I looked away, "Before my Father died, she really was a wonderful mother… She was always kind and this is a completely new look for her. It's because of that that I'm willing to overlook her… The physical pain she causes sometimes. And anyways, she's not that strong. I can take it."

Masamune rolled his eye, "Could have fooled me…"

"So long as I don't pester her, she won't mind if I stay over a few nights."

"Then how will you convince her to approve?" He put an arm around my shoulder and we started walking the direction the other three had walked.

"Ah… She'll come around sooner or later." I shook my head. "She'll come around…" I wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned my head against him, trying to think of what to do.

"Why does she hate you so much anyways?" He asked.

"It's not that she hates me... She just hates how I look..." Masamune looked at me oddly and I continued, "And she resented Kaito even more. Kaito and I look like our father, unlike Hotaru who looks like her. Before our father died, Kaito used to be her favorite child, since he was a guy and resembled our father most, but when Dad died he instantly became the most hated. Me and him are just reminders that Dad is no longer around..."

Masamune stopped and stared at me but I looked away. A small breeze blew through as Masamune and I stood quietly facing each other.

"Oh yeah," I said suddenly, looking at him.

"Eh?"

I took his hand and started leading him in another direction, "I forgot!"

"Forgot what?" He asked, following quickly.

"You'll see." I grinned and he smiled back.

* * *

"Ah, your 'secret hiding place'… It's been a while." Masamune said when I finally let go of his hand. "We haven't been here together since we were kids."

I smiled. Yes… It has been… A long time. I had brought him straight past the 'haunted' village to the heart of the forest we hung out in as kids. It's been a long time, and I wanted to see if anything had changed.

"The last time I came here was when I was fourteen, and yet it still looks the same as ever."

"Some things never change, huh?"

I smiled and we stood quietly together, enjoying the trees' comfort in the dying light of the day. The sun was just starting to set and the red glow bathed the area with a crimson light as the creek burbled quietly in the background.

"Hey, want to climb up the tree again?" he asked suddenly. He grinned as he started pulling off his geta.

"Eh? Aren't we a little old for that?" I asked in an amused tone.

He laughed, "Of course not. We're only in our twenties, you know."

I laughed and then pulled my shoes off as well. He gave me a boost and we climbed up the giant tree together. Finally we reached the top and the wind blew as I sighed.

"And this, Young Master Masamune," I said, "Is where our first major date took place."

He laughed and said, "It's like you can see the whole world from this one tree."

I laughed too, "You remember saying that, all those years ago?"

"There's not much I don't remember from that time, unlike _some _people here," he said with a grin. I rolled my eyes but smiled and he wrapped his arms around me as we just watched the wind blow everything around.

Finally I squirmed out of his grasp and started climbing down. "We should probably head back, I'm sure Hotaru's wondering where we are by now." He nodded and started following.

He reached the bottom first and called out, "Hey Rin, jump! I'll catch you!"

I was only about nine feet up but I blushed and shouted back, "What? No way! I mean, last time I did that you scolded me and we fell over!"

He laughed and said, "Come on, I'm stronger now. Trust me!"

I sighed. Sometimes he can be such a child... Then I laughed and called, "Well alright then, look out below!"

I took a deep breath and jumped and, as promised, he caught me. With a grunt he stumbled slightly, but finally he straightened up with a grin and said, "See? What did I tell you? We didn't fall this time."

"Yeah, but I nearly died of a heart attack there! You know, I'm not as stupid as I was when I was seven, no way would I have done that if you hadn't told me to!" I held my arms around his neck tightly, still recovering from my fall and he held me even tighter in bridal style.

He grinned and said, "Obviously not, if you're marrying me." I laughed and my cheeks turned red as he kissed me.

"Masamune…" I said suddenly, feeling a sudden burst of courage after we pulled away for air.

"Yeah?" he asked with a grin, kissing me again. He set me on my feet but I continued holding him around the neck. Our cheeks were both flushed and I was glad I couldn't talk for another few moments.

Should I tell him about where I've been disappearing lately? I know he's been suspicious but if I told him, wouldn't he be angry? I took a few moments to think it out.

Finally I shook my head and grabbed him around the chest instead, placing my hands on his back. "I love you…" was all I said. No… I'll tell him some other time.

Why ruin the moment?

I pressed my forehead into the crook of his neck and he held me tighter and said, "I know Rin."

His typical way of saying 'I love you' without actually saying it. I smiled… It may not be the right words, but he's got the right meaning… He'll get there some day.

* * *

**Date Masamune**

I sighed for the umpteenth time with my cheek resting on my hand and Kojuro looked over to me. "Masamune-Sama, if you continue to sigh like that, I'm afraid you might not have a breath left in your body by tomorrow."

I glared and said, "Yeah, yeah Kojuro, very funny."

"What's on your mind?"

I shrugged, "Rin's gone off again today."

"She's been doing that a lot lately…" he said thoughtfully.

I nodded, "I think it's about time I found out what she's been up to…" I stood up and looked for my armor. Yes... It's exactly that time now.

* * *

"You idiot…" Whispered a strained voice, "You stupid, stupid _idiot_!" A hand grasped mine tightly and I could feel Rin's tears on my cheek. "What… The hell were you thinking?"

Huh… What _was_ I thinking then? I'm not even sure now. My body just reacted on its own. Rin was in trouble, and I didn't bring my swords because I didn't think I needed them, what else could I do?

I smiled then and finally said, "Don't cry Rin... It doesn't look good with you."

Rin gasped as I tried pushing myself up but I grimaced and my hand flew to my side. Ouch. That hurt. She started pushing me back down and said, "Stop you idiot, you might re-open your wound."

I grinned and said, "I'm fine. A cut like this would never be enough to take out a dragon." She relaxed slightly and then helped me as I sat up.

"How long have I been out?" I asked once I was comfortable.

"A few days…" Rin mumbled.

"I see… And how are you?" I couldn't help but stare when I looked at her. Her ponytail… She cut it off? When did this happen?... "Your hair... What happened to it?"

I reached out and fingered a strand and she looked away, "Don't change the topic. You're injured."

"Yeah, but probably not as badly as your brother should be, right about now," I smiled. "You got him good for me, didn't you?" She didn't answer and wouldn't meet my gaze but I kept looking at her. "So what exactly happened? My mind is… A little fuzzy right now."

"…"

"Rin."

"What?" She asked, trying hard not to look at me.

"I need you to tell me."

She shook her head, "Why? The main thing is that you were hurt, okay? Nothing more…"

"I want to know why you were fighting your brother in the first place." I slid my hands out of hers and then took them again, holding them tightly and trying to get her to look at me. "He's probably the second closest guy to you, after me of course," I laughed, expecting her to correct my or something, but when she didn't I continued, "So why were you two fighting so heatedly? You've always bragged about how great a guy he is... Or was."

"…"

We were both silent and Rin's fingers tried to fidget but I held them tightly until they gave up.

"Okay… I'll tell you…" She said quietly.

* * *

**Kazehaya Rin**

"_Kaito, I'm sorry, I really can't do this anymore… I can't help you. This is wrong Big Brother." This was the fifth and, hopefully, final meeting I would have with my older brother, Kaito._

_He had contacted me not too long ago, just a little after the problem with Masamune's grandmother had resolved itself. Why so suddenly though? I had wondered about it and it had taken me off guard. I was suspicious at first, but actually seeing my brother… It was overwhelming and I knew that I had to forgive him._

_Where had he been? What had he been doing? _

_Why did he let Maka find him before I did?_

_Millions of questions had run through my mind during our first meeting but as soon as he held me they were wiped away and I was filled with the familiar sense of comfort he gave._

_My brother. He's here. He's really here. With me…_

___But… My happiness of seeing him was short lived… As soon as we had broken apart he immediately told me his latest plan._

"_How so? By doing this we're ridding the world of evil and corruptness, right?" Kaito asked as I remembered our first meeting. I had been so happy, but now..._

_His deep voice pierced the silent air and I shook my head, "No, Big Brother. It's wrong. Killing people isn't the right way to end the world's sins."_

'_To rid the world of evil,' he had said his job was. He didn't tell me his exact plans, just that he was on the ultimate mission from God._

_I thought it was wonderful. Kaito hadn't changed a bit since we had lived in the village together. He was still on his journey to end the war; I always knew he was good, even when he left. It wasn't until our third meeting that I truly understood what his plans were._

_It had hit me suddenly and unexpectedly. How could I have been so blind? Of course that was his method._

_He was the cause of all three villages that were totally annihilated in mere hours. Hundreds… No… Thousands of villagers slaughtered like common animals. Even a butcher wouldn't treat a pig with such disrespect._

_All because of him._

_I thought I was going to be sick and I had cried out._

_His idea was that by destroying all of humanity itself, he could rid the world of evil. _

'_Every human being experiences pain and from that pain births hatred and revenge. Hatred and revenge starts wars and wars birth even more wars. It's a never ending cycle that only destroys people…_

'_The only way to stop it completely is by killing its source. Only then will human beings rest peacefully. Children's innocence will be forever preserved and men can finally lay their weapons down for good, when they're in God's hands. I will carry the burden of their deaths and go to hell in their place. I know it's a big favor, but I truly believe we can help humanity in this way. Will you help me with this quest, Rin?'_

_I cried. I stalled for as long as I could… I kept what I knew secret but when I had gone on that one investigation with Masamune and Katakura, it became even more difficult to hide and I knew Masamune had become suspicious._

_He was rightfully so, but how could I tell Masamune that the source of all these massacres was my own brother? No. I couldn't. I was too afraid._

_Even though his idea was insane, he was my brother. I couldn't betray him like that and if Masamune knew I was absolutely certain he would kill Kaito. No way would he let something as horrific as this go unpunished, and neither would I under normal circumstances._

_So I kept quiet._

_But now… My brother has destroyed four entire villages all over in the course of a week. It's time to give him my answer and try to convince him to stop._

_And if that didn't work, I had no other choice than to kill him._

_The idea sickened me._

"_So that is your final answer?" Kaito asked coldly._

"_I've kept you safe up until now because you are my brother and that is all. I do not accept your method and never will." I took a step forward as I tried making my point, "Please Big Brother, stop this ridiculousness right now so I won't have to make you an enemy." _

_He sighed and turned away, his black coat swaying in the breeze as he moved, "Why don't you understand Rin? Don't you see that the only way to stop evil is to defeat it completely? The only way to find peace is to stop the hatred in people's hearts."_

"_By killing them?" I finally yelled. "What's wrong with you Kaito? Why can't you see that you are taking the lives of innocent people? It's not the way you're killing them that's wrong, but the reason! Human beings may be imperfect, but no one deserves a death like this Kaito, why don't you see that?"_

"_You wouldn't have said something like that two years ago, would you have?" He asked emotionlessly, his black eyes meeting mine. _

_I tensed. No… No! I'm not like that, I never have been! I never would have agreed to do something like this in my entire life! … I wouldn't have…!_

"_He's changed you. That One-Eyed Snake. If you hadn't met him, you would have agreed whole-heartedly to help me, your big brother..."_

"_You're wrong Kaito… You're wrong! This is evil… __You're__ evil! Why… Have you changed so much?" I clenched my fists angrily, the pain of my nails digging into my palms nothing compared to the pain I was feeling in my chest._

"_I want to end this war and all others completely, but if you plan on being an obstacle I will have to get a rid of you. I will kill you, Rin. Please, just help me. I don't want to hurt you. I'm your brother." He faced me and my heart clenched even tighter._

_I grit my teeth as I felt hot tears slide down my cheeks. No… This is not my brother. My brother isn't like this._

_My brother is empathic and kind… He's smart and amazing at everything he does without even having to try. He's strong and protective and perfect in every way and he may want to stop the war, but he wouldn't go to such measures as horrible as these. Who is this man who dares destroy my brother's image?_

_I… _

_I must kill him._

"_Please Kaito..." I tried one more time, "You don't have to kill these people to end evil. Just… Fight the soldiers and help the One-Eyed Dragon's army. Under his rule we can end this hatred. Please... Big Brother, I beg of you!"_

_He looked away, as if contemplating my words, but with a final sigh he put on his white clay mask with the red scar down its right eye, an exact copy of my mother's with that one difference, and said, "Kazehaya Rin… Crimson Shinigami… I, Kazehaya Kaito, the Phantom of Oshu, challenge you to a duel. No holding back."_

_He drew his katana and then his wakizashi and got into his fight stance. Then that is that._

_Yes… This is … The only way to settle this._

_I unsheathed my fans and snapped them open, "Yes. I, Kazehaya Rin, Crimson Shinigami, accepts your challenge, Phantom of Oshu. Kazehaya… Kaitoooo!"_

* * *

_No… No… NO!_

_Why? Why did he have to be here? Why does he always have to be the one to save me?_

"_Masamune!" I screamed as I watched Masamune cough up blood and Kaito only stared at him in amazement. Masamune's blood flew and it was as if everything were moving in slow motion._

_It had all happened so quickly though._

_I was down to my knife and Kaito was just about to land a critical blow, one I had anticipated and would have used to my advantage when Masamune had suddenly thrown himself in front of me._

_Kaito's sword plunged into his side and there was red._

_So much red… Too much red… No… This is Date Masamune, not Sanada Yukimura, and Date Masamune always wears blue! So why is there so much red? The warm liquid splattered on my cheek and the smell of iron rose as my eyes grew wide._

_Why?_

_Why did this happen?_

_Why did he… Do that?_

_As if waking up from a dream… Or really a nightmare, I took advantage of the confusion and managed to add three cross like marks on Kaito's arm._

_He jumped back without taking his wakizashi and Masamune staggered backwards. He fell on his side and his helmet rolled a few feet away._

"_Hold on Masamune!" I had yelled._

_I fought Kaito some more… He used his air pressure trick that contorted the air and I tried counterattacking by reversing the direction it was moving though my wind wasn't strong enough. I managed to disarm Kaito completely by parrying his katana and twisting it out of his grip but he only jumped back and he went back to using his damned wind magic!_

_From what I've seen, he concentrates on a certain point and manages to force so much pressure in that one spot, it collapses in on itself and anything caught in it contorts itself into some ugly shape. It's something you definitely wouldn't want to be caught in. Luckily, to do this he has to be able to see where he's concentrating and I've taken advantage of that, but it still isn't enough. He's too fast... Too strong..._

_I battled with him from a far, unable to get close to him because every time I tried a contorted sphere would appear, barely visible, and I would have to dodge. Later, I launched myself forward and was flying through the air when I finally threw my left arm forward, straight into the sphere and I ignored the pain as my entire arm fractured. I threw my knife forward next and Kaito's eyes widened behind his mask._

_Up until then, all I could do was avoid this strange power of his so he hadn't expected me to go right through it._

_My knife connected to his mask and it cracked, finally shattering into millions of pieces around where I struck and he tried dodging as my knife cut across his right cheek, just below the eye._

_Damn, I aimed too low. I fell and rolled on my right side and I panted. Now I'm starting to feel it. I'm surprised my left arm is only broken._

_With a power like that, Kaito could have easily destroyed my entire arm so I would never be able to use it again. Was he going 'easy' on me?_

_I got up quickly, ready to attack once more but Kaito backed up, staggering slightly._

_He laughed, "You … Are much stronger than I give you credit for… Rin."_

_I scowled._

"_But… That's all for now." He reached down slowly and grabbed his katana, then jumped and a gust of wind tore through the area. I used my non-injured arm as a shield and when it calmed down Kaito was gone with his last message still whistling in the air, "Until next time, Little Sister."_

_I collapsed to my knees, and then fell to my right shoulder. A terrible realization had just occurred to me. I thought I was going to be sick and I heaved a few times, as if I were about to throw up._

_My brother is my enemy… My brother… My enemy…_

_And he…_

_Masamune!_

_I bolted up and saw Masamune's sad form with Kaito's wakizashi still in him. I crawled over to him and pushed him up a bit with my right arm._

"_**Shit**__." Damn… Kaito really got him. The sword pierced straight into his side and out. To think that could have been me… If it had been, I really wouldn't have been in the condition to defeat him like my original plan had been. But… No… No! He can't die!_

_I have to do something to get that sword out. I laid him back down as gently as I could; putting him at a slight angle so he wasn't laying on it directly. "__**Not cool**__…" he mumbled, cracking his eye open. "But… I'm glad you weren't… Hurt… Ah!" _

_He grimaced in pain and his body twitched slightly. I shouted, "Shut up, you shouldn't be talking right now! You're injured." I used my teeth to tear off my left sleeve to the shoulder and I tossed it into the air. _

_He laughed weakly and said quietly, "Don't I know it…" He seemed to have passed out then so I worked quickly. I used my knife to cut the sleeve down the side and then into three different sections as it floated down. The widest part, from the first black stripe just below my elbow down to the base that ends at my hand will be used to staunch the blood. The middle, the part from the first black stripe to the second black stripe just under the shoulder will be used to help pull out the sword and the smallest cloth will be for any clean up._

_I used my right hand to untie the simple kai-no-kuchi knot of my obi and then untied the strings to my armor, placing both carefully to the side and then took off my shitagi. I'd have to use it as a bandage and wrap it around Masamune's wound. At least my bandages weren't cut, so I won't be completely exposed. I cut the right sleeve off it and placed it to the side as well. 'I'll use it later,' I decided._

_Great, I may have a smaller form than him, but the main part of my shitagi should be long enough be wrapped around his body._

_I removed Masamune's armor next and cut a small area of cloth around the sword off. "I'm sorry, Masamune…" I murmured, placing the middle cloth from my sleeve on his side, "This is going to hurt… But I have to remove the sword now. I'll make it up to you when you get better… I promise." I kissed his unresponsive lips gently and then bit the handle of the sword on the side with my teeth. _

_My left arm hung uselessly at my side and I counted to three, my words coming out slightly muffled sounding._

"_**One**__…"I pressed the cloth into Masamune's side a little more firmly._

"_**Two**__…" I clenched my teeth around the handle of the sword._

"_**Three**__!" In one quick motion I pulled my head to the left tugging the sword free quickly and Masamune screamed. His blood spilled everywhere and I fought the urge to throw up again. I quickly dropped the wakizashi from my mouth and pressed into the wound._

_Masamune moaned in pain and I grimaced. "I'm sorry!" I kissed him again and then quickly tried tying one of the strips around him one handedly, using my mouth to help knot it. I did the same with the other strips and sat back to look at my work when I was finally done._

_I sighed. It wasn't the best in the world, but it would have to do, and with the slight pressure on it, Masamune's wound seemed to have bothered him slightly less now… He lay quietly so I assumed that as long as I didn't add too much pressure or moved him around foolishly he should be fine._

"_**Okay**__," I said aloud, needing the sound of my voice to calm myself. "Now for me…"_

_I cut my right sleeve down the seams on both sides and proceeded to wrap both around my neck and injured arm, making a quick make-shift cast. It wasn't that great and not nearly tight enough, but it would have to do until I could get help._

_After that I used some of the scraps from my shirt to wipe at the other various cuts I received, noticing all the sores on my body now._

"_Ow…" I winced. So many cuts… Some I hadn't even realized were there until now. So that's the skill of the 'Phantom of Oshu', huh? "Hmph…"_

_I pushed my bangs up and wiped my sweaty forehead with the back of my hand, and looked back at Masamune. He was sweating lightly and I used some extra cloth for him. I sat back on my butt now, wondering what to do._

_The sun was setting and it was getting darker and darker with each passing second…_

_I looked around, wondering where Masamune's horse was. He had to have used one to get here, but it was nowhere to be seen. Must have been scared off, and I'm pretty sure mine has been long gone._

_I sighed and put away my knife into its sheath, leaving it on top of my armor and obi._

_Well, it's not like I would have been able to carry him to one anyways. Not in his condition now…_

_I looked back at him. He seemed to be breathing normally and I smiled. We'll just have to stay here until someone finds us or until he was well enough to walk back. I lay down beside him on my back and watched the sky darken. I curled up by his side and closed my eyes as I tried steadying my breathing._

_Where's Katakura when you need him?_

* * *

_A nicker woke me up what seemed hours later._

_It had grown dark out and I could barely see but…Wait… Was that…? I squinted. My horse! _

_She had stayed after all!_

_I made some clicking noises with my mouth and the horse looked at me but otherwise didn't react. **Okay**… I at least got your attention._

"_Come here girl!" I called in a friendly tone. "Come on!" The horse stared at me and I groaned. "Fine, if you won't come to me… I'll come to you because I'm gonna ride home whether you want me to or not."_

_I stood up slowly and quickly picked Masamune up. I hung his left arm over my shoulder, careful that it didn't brush my injured arm and slowly tried dragging him to the horse. The horse walked away twice from grass to grass and I almost lost it._

_It stood calmly watching me after its third move, happily munching on some grass as I struggled and I glared at it. 'Sure, you eat your grass while I drag this idiot to you. Whatever __**floats your boat, **__as those Americans say.'_

_I finally reached within two feet of the horse and panted. I grabbed its reigns and I forced it to kneel down so I could push Masamune on. He groaned again since I had to lay him on his stomach but I sighed, "Sorry… That's the only safe way for you to ride right now."_

_I led the horse calmly back to where we had previously been and gathered my armor, setting it carefully under Masamune and then I sheathed my fans which were still lying around. I scooped up his helmet along with Kaito's broken mask. It had broken where my knife had struck it but it looked okay otherwise. Finally I took Kaito's sword and put it between the waistline of my pants and the strings around it._

_Might as well keep it as a final memento…_

_I grabbed the horse's reigns again and slowly began leading it back to the village._

_I just hoped I wouldn't get totally lost…_

* * *

"Masamune…" I finally said, after he was silent for a while. "Are you… Angry with me?"

"Huh? Angry?" He looked at me oddly and I looked away. "Why would I be angry?"

"Because I hid the fact that I knew who was destroying all those villages from you…"

He laughed, "Of course not. Granted, I would have liked it more if you had told me but… You did what you had to do to protect your brother… It's more than what I've ever done for my own…" He smiled faintly and I looked at him. "Although, I kind of miss your ponytail, what happened to it? Why'd you cut it?"

I blushed, running a hand through my hair self-consciously and said, "I'm sorry… It's just… Remember that one time I said that I was growing it out for my brother?"

He nodded, "Right. You said cutting it would be like… Oh…" His face revealed his sudden realization. "You said cutting it would be like severing a bond with him… Right?"

I nodded sadly, "But it's alright…" I shook my head back and forth, "It's so light now and much easier to take care of, so I don't mind. Really. It was getting bothersome anyways, since it's been so damn hot this summer." I laughed awkwardly and he sighed.

"That's too bad… I really liked it long…" He touched the back of my head and ran his fingers through my shortened hair thoughtfully and I smiled.

"Then how about this? I'll grow it out for you again and it can represent _our_ bond instead. _**Okay**_?"

He grinned and said, "Our bond as a couple."

His grey eye held mine and I finally felt the tears come. I grabbed him into a one-armed hug, still careful that my arm wasn't jostled too much and he held me back tightly.

He stroked my hair and said, "Rin… Thank you. You saved me."

I laughed weakly, "No… You're the one who should be thanked. I'm not sure what would have happened if I had been the one who got hurt like that but… Promise me something, okay?"

"Does it have to do with not interfering with your crazy mother's problems with you? 'Cuz I'm sorry to say that I can't do that. I'll never let anyone hurt you like that again… No matter who they are, if they try something that stupid, I'll kill them."

I smiled and pulled back to say, "No. It's that next time, don't try to be my human shield. I don't want to have to destroy another one of my shirts again to make make-shift bandages for you."

I grinned and he laughed, "I can't believe I missed you shirtless… It _**totally sucks**_."

I blushed, "I was still wearing my bandages you know, so it's not like I was completely naked."

"Yeah… But still…" He trailed off and I rolled my eyes. He grinned and then pulled me down so I my head was lying on his lap and I blushed even darker. He laughed and said, "_**Alright**_, it's a promise then. I'll always protect you so long as you always go shirtless to heal me if I'm injured in the process."

I glared, "N-no! That's not the promise, s-stupid!"

He grinned, "It is now." He leaned down and kissed me and I finally reached up to touch his cheek.

"Stupid…" I mumbled when he pulled away. "I… Love you Masamune."

"I know Rin." He grinned and I smiled back.

Yes… I love him.

* * *

_Six days later_

"…Wh-what?" I asked, stuttering. I couldn't believe it, did my Mother just?...

"You heard me." My mother snapped. She waved her fan idly back and forth (though I'm not sure why because it seems oddly ineffectual when she's wearing her mask) and continued, "I approve. I give you my consent to marry Date Masamune."

No way... No way...! No way! I felt like squealing in delight then, but I quickly smothered the feeling by clearing my throat. "Thank you Mother." I finally said, unable to stop grinning widely.

My mother finally stopped fanning herself and turned to look at me. I steeled myself for one of her icy glares but instead, she only gazed sadly. …Sadly?

She may show anger, but she never shows sadness. Not like this, anyways. She stood up and walked towards me and I tensed, closing my eyes as I waited for her stinging slap but when it didn't come I cracked an eye open.

My mother opened her arms…

And embraced me tightly. My eyes opened wide as my mother held me.

It's been so long… Too long since she's ever held me so lovingly… "Mother…" I said, somewhat dazed. She's so warm… So comforting… I missed her.

"Just promise me something." She said quietly. I turned my head to look and her and she pulled back to look me in the eyes. "Don't you ever become like me."

I looked at her questioningly but she only hugged me again.

Finally I reached under her and held her back, closing my eyes and smiling as I said, "Yes Mother… I promise."

* * *

"So?" Masamune asked with a grin as I walked out of the village meeting building. "How'd it go?"

I smiled back, making the American peace signs with both my hands. My arm has healed quite nicely for such a short period of time and Masamune's wound is already closing. "Well Date Masamune, I think it's really going to happen."

"What? Please remind me what's really going to happen, my mind's a little fuzzy." He wrapped himself around my shoulders and I stuck my tongue out at him.

I elbowed him lightly in the chest and said with a laugh, "You know what. Don't be mean and make me say it, it's embarrassing."

"_**Come on**_, really, I don't know what's going on. What's going to happen?" He looked at me and smiled in just the right way and I felt my heart beat faster. Damn his smiles! They always make me flustered.

I sighed, defeated, and said, "I'm going to become the One-Eyed Dragon's wife."

"Oh? And who's the One-Eyed Dragon?"

I hit him again, laughing, "Date Masamune. I, Kazehaya Rin, will marry Date Masamune, the One-Eyed Dragon."

"Now that's more like it!" Masamune grinned and he kissed me.

It's really going to happen…

It's really going to happen.

"Seems kind of weird though, huh?" Masamune asked, as we continued walking along the road together. Although his wound has mostly healed, he still uses me as a support to walk around. Whether this is because he's really in pain or because he just wants to wrap an arm around my shoulders is somewhat questionable, but right now, I don't mind. His presence is comforting, as perverted as he can be...

"What is?" I asked.

"A dragon marrying his own shadow."

"Huh?" I looked at him questioningly.

He laughed, "Hey, wasn't it you who started calling yourself the 'One-Eyed Dragon's Shadow'?"

I thought about it and then I laughed, "I guess it was. I can't even remember the first time I said it though."

"It kind of came naturally right?"

"I suppose."

We continued walking in silence again and before I knew it we had ended up at the forest. I turned to look at him and said, "You sure you're not gonna regret this?"

"That's a dumb question." He said and I laughed.

"Yes… You're right. I was only wondering."

He held both my hands in his and I looked up at him. He's so pretty… For a pirate...

"I will never regret this," he said, smiling faintly.

"No…" I agreed. "No regrets at all."

* * *

A/N: Alrighty then! I think this is it. This is the final final _final _chapter of _**A Dragon and His Shadow** _and the next chapter will be featured in my second series centering around season two of Sengoku Basara. Or at least, it should be, unless I decide to make a 10th chapter to make this series evenly chapter-ed, which is very possible. ... I like even numbers. (And because this seemed to be a pretty un-dramatic and a total turn off finale.)

I watched the second season ages ago but I haven't gotten around to watching it again like I swore I'd do because, to be honest, I don't really like it as much. ;_; They brought too many dead characters back and it pissed me off. T_T Also, they relied a little bit more on paranormal events like Oda Nobunaga's and Oichi's ghosts and it... Eh... It just wasn't as good as the first season in my opinion. :/ Plus, there wasn't enough Takeda and I really like his character. ;_; But have no fear! I shall get around to it sooner or later.

Probably later.

Some things to point out in this chapter:

* This chapter was done in first-person(s) to add to the sort of "mystery" that I tried to build (and failed) to do and also because it was originally meant for my other series _Tales from the Heart of a Dragon_, but because of how the events played out, I was forced to put it somewhere in the story before Rin and Masamune marry and sometime after Rin gets over her general embarrassment with her relationship to Masamune. ... There were smarter reasons why, but I already forgot them and they're sort of difficult to explain.

* Kaito's weapons: Is a _daisho, _a pair of matched swords. He uses the _katana_ paired with a _wakizashi_. Wiki them for a visual image.

* Rin's Clothes: Under her armor Rin wears a long-sleeved _shitagi_ which is the typical shirt samurai wear under their armor. ... To give a brief description of my version, just think of a _kimono_ from the waist up with two stripes wrapped around both sleeves. The first stripe (the top one) is just under Rin's shoulders and the second is just under the elbow. She also wears a black obi with a white cloth underneath, (the black is the obi) which is tied into a simple _kai-no-kuchi_ knot. ... You can find her profile somewhere on my deviantArt account...

* Rin's Hairstyle: The easiest way to describe it would be to picture Haku (from Hayao Miyazaki's film _Spirited Away_) with a ponytail reaching to about mid-back (or longer...) and with two longer groups of hair on each side of her face. The longest reaching her shoulders and the other slightly shorter. Her bangs are like a comb, just evenly lengthwise and straight across her forehead. Now, picture just Haku with black hair for Rin's newest hair style (that's basically what it is). I'm so original... Again, for a visual look just visit me on deviantArt. :P

*Bandages: I get the feeling that bras weren't really around in that time period, at least, not the kind we wear now, so as substitute I just said that women (at least Rin) binds their chests down using bandages. ... Well... Normal women. ... Not including Kasuga, basically. So the whole joke about Rin being flat-chested is actually untrue, she just binds herself too tightly giving the appearance of having no chest at all. It'll come up again later, I'm sure...

*Marriage: ... Rin and Masamune don't get married, by the way. Not until way after the Toyotomi war because at this point they should be at about day 45 out of the 56 days (8 weeks) I gave them in between season 1 and season 2. ... Yeah, I had to calculate a lot of numbers to figure out the timeline... So apparently Masamune can heal from a sword wound in only 11 days and Rin's arm can heal in even less time. But shhh, I didn't tell you that... There's no such thing as logic in anime, let alone fanfics.

*Timeline: (While I'm at it and to make things even more confusing) I give Date's army three weeks to recover out of eight after the battle with the Devil King, so there's 21 days out of 56 already down. The thing with Itsuki takes five days total, so 26/56. Eight days goes to Chinatsu and Megohime, so 34/56. It takes 5 days to travel to Rin's village, 39/56. Rin visits her brother for 5 days and they battle on the sixth, so now we're at 45 days out of 56. ... So that gives Masamune and Rin 11 days to heal before they go out and begin season two. ... Wow. ... I should have given them more time... Feh.

Um... Other things to mention...

Oh, if you happen to have a friend with a _wakizashi_ stuck in them, you should probably leave it in there until you can get professional help or else you might re-open the wound. The best thing would be to probably leave it in so the wound is blocked and they don't lose any more blood. ... Then again, I'm not sure if you'd really know a lot of people in that sort of situation...

Eh, that should be about it for now.

Thanks so much for reading my series and keep an eye out for my sequel, _The Series without a Name Yet_.

Just kidding... It doesn't have a name yet so we'll just call it _Series X_ until I get around to actually writing it. Ha... That's funny.

ありがとう!

- Jackal

(And don't forget about _Tales from the Heart of a Dragon_, a series told by Date Masamune himself! ... Sort of. Hey, I tried.)


	10. Extra: Chapter 7

**Extra Chapter 7**

"How does it feel now?" Rin asked, supporting Masamune as they walked through an emptier part of Rin's home village. The doctor, also known as Rin's younger sister, checked his wound for a final time and then gave them the A-Okay to move about some more. He immediately took up the offer, but practically crumbled with the first step he took. And so, there they were, with Rin being used as the crutch for the great One-Eyed Dragon.

He broke away with a grin and said, "I'm doing just _**great**_." He stretched his body widely and over-exaggeratedly to show how great he felt now but Rin rolled her eyes when he winced slightly, resisting the urge to hold his wound.

"It's still bothering you, isn't it?" She asked in a monotone voice.

"No, really, I said I'm _**okay**_." Masamune said with an awkward laugh. Rin reached out and poked him where his sword wound was still wrapped up and Masamune curled, arms flying to cover it. "Ah!" He grunted and Rin rolled her eyes.

"Still think you're 'okay'?" She asked sarcastically.

"It only hurts now because you hit me!" Masamune cringed as the pain from 'blow' faded.

"Pfft… Lighten up you baby, it was a poke." She smiled and said, "Honestly, One-Eyed Dragon-San, if a poke as innocent as that crippled you right now, you're in for Hell when the next battle arises."

Masamune finally laughed and said, "Well… _**Alright**_ then, I admit, it's still a little… Er… _**Tender**_. But maybe if I just exercise some, it'll get better. Want to spar with me?" He asked the last part with a grin and unsheathed the single sword strapped at his side.

Rin shook her head in disbelief and said, "I can't believe you're suggesting a fight with me after complaining about a mere poke but…" She grinned devilishly, "I accept." She pulled out her knife and said, "Just don't cry when you lose."

"Says the girl who pulls her trump card out right away!" Masamune retorted with a laugh.

Rin shrugged and replied, "Well unlike _some _people I don't want to take the chance injuring myself again." They took a few steps away from each other and readied themselves into their respective fighting stances a moment later.

A small breeze flew through the area, causing their clothes to sway gently, and with a final trade of looks mirroring their obvious desires to win, the fight began.

They started out casually, each taking turns at making aggressions, and attacking at an almost leisurely pace. It wasn't until Rin decided to stay on Masamune's right side that their battle auras finally turned up. She moved to the right, forcing Masamune to turn each time and she struck quickly, retreating before he could return the attack.

"Well that's not fair," Masamune said with a grin after a few attacks. "You're taking advantage of former grievances!"

Rin laughed and called back, "Well you know the saying, 'All is fair in love and war', right?" She struck forward again and Date blocked. He returned the attack and Rin jumped back to safety, running to his right again.

"Hm… Love and war…" Masamune muttered quietly, "All is fair in love and war… Ah, speaking of love," he grinned mischievously, thinking of his own 'battle plan' to use against Rin, "Now that we've got both our families' consent and that we're going to marry, will you finally sleep with me tonight?"

Even from where he was he could see Rin's face heat up considerably as she stuttered, "N-_no_, damn it! Is that _all_ you think of? Honestly, everything you ask me these days are whether I'll sleep with you or something else just as crude." She stopped running as she paused to collect herself and Masamune grinned.

_**Bing-o.**_ Masamune thought triumphantly, if she wanted to fight dirty, he might as well too. _All is fair in love and war._

He took her moment of embarrassment and lashed out. Rin parried the blow in time but instead of retreating like she thought he would, Masamune forced all his weight on her. The advantage of height and his choice of weapon played accordingly and soon he landed on top of her with a thud. He pushed himself up quickly and pinned her knife-arm down carefully by placing his knee on top. He stuck his sword into the ground beside her neck and feigned a cutting motion.

"It looks like you've lost," he said in a low-voice, lust etching each word as he gently traced a finger along her facial features. "Now then, what shall your _**penalty**_ be?"

Rin grinned and said, "Not yet, _**darling**_." She reached up with her previously broken left arm and lightly traced where his wound was and his body cringed. She quickly took advantage of this brief moment of weakness and tossed him over, causing them to both roll and land away from Masamune's sword.

Rin, now with the advantage of being on top, straddled him. Her knees supported her weight on each side and trapped his own arms, and she placed her left arm on his chest, pinning him against the ground and lightly laying the edge of her combat knife against his throat. "So what was that about 'penalties'?" she asked with a purr.

It was Masamune's turn to grin this time as he asked, "Looks like you've got me but…" He easily freed his arms and reached with his left hand to grope her backside, then pointed at their hips with his other. He smirked as the color rose in Rin's cheeks and said, "That's an awfully suggestive position you're in right now. Are you sure you don't want to have sex yet?"

She started shifting but he grabbed her with both hands now and said with a smirk, "Oh, don't move on _my _account, because personally, I like you in this position. I think it's **_sexy_****.**"

Rin rolled her eyes but her face reddened even more, "Shut up, you still lost."

"Or did I?" Masamune countered with a grin.

Before she could say anything back, Masamune bucked against her so he could free himself and quickly grabbed her knife arm, then bent it and pointed it against the back of her neck. He used his free hand to grip her left arm tightly around her back and whispered into her ear, "I win."

Rin laughed and finally said, "Alright, _fine_, you win this time."

Masamune let her go with a laugh and asked, "So, I believe I win something?"

"Sure," Rin said, matching his smile brightly. She held her hand out and said cheerfully, "A winner's handshake."

Masamune stared at it sadly and moaned, "Whaaat? Nothing else?" He looked at Rin with a playful grin and she glared back.

"If you mean my body, then no, you'll just have to wait until we're actually married." She pulled a long face and sheathed her knife, then pushed it in its sheath a little deeper into her obi.

Masamune sighed woefully, "What a buzz kill… Honestly Rin, you shouldn't be such a prude. You'll be an old lady by the time you turn twenty-four if you try holding out any longer…"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye as she scoffed, "Well, _sorry_ I'm just not as into it as you." She stuck her tongue out and looked away with her arms folded. He laughed and then tackled her, holding her tightly and kissing her.

"Mm!" He held her tightly as she tried struggling and she panted when he finally broke away and said, "I guess this'll just have to do then." He grinned.

Her face gotten even redder as she protested, "Wait, Masamune, I never said-" He kissed her again with even more force and she finally stopped resisting.

They continued like that for a while until a voice cut in, "Masamune-Sama am I… Interrupting something?"

Masamune looked up with a grin and said, "Actually, yes, you were," just as Rin cried, "N-no, Katakura, please save me from this guy, he's insane!" Masamune looked down at her as she glared back but he shrugged.

"Nothing in particular," he said finally. "Just trying to finally get some. It's been too long and I feel that I might dry up soon if I don't do anything any longer…"

"Ah… Alright then…" Kojuro said, ignoring Masamune's last statements. He was used to these kinds of inappropriate announcements and chose to overlook them.

Kojuro glanced away in apprehension and Masamune asked, "So, do you need anything Kojuro?"

"Not really, sir, though I came to inform you that I've calculated our next battle plan and if we leave soon, we should be able to launch an attack on Takeda Shingen's army as they battle Uesugi Kenshin's."

"_**Cool**_, when do you figure we should leave?"

"Some time tomorrow or the next should be fine… But today would probably be the best. Are your wounds alright?"

Masamune said, "Couldn't be any better. I'd say they'd be inexistent by two days or so, so I'll be just fine to fight."

"I'm glad to hear it, Masamune-Sama… How about yourself, Rin-Sama?"

Rin laughed as she asked, "'Rin-Sama'? This is new, Katakura."

"Well, you are to be my lord's lady, right?" He asked with a smile.

Rin laughed again nervously, "Y-yeah but… I haven't changed…"

Kojuro smiled, "No, but it's my job as a retainer to treat my higher ups with respect."

"But… I'm not—"

Masamune laughed and cut in, "Well Rin, whether you like it or not, from now on you should expect this kind of treatment everywhere you go. Maybe not officially yet, but you _are_ the wife of the One-Eyed Dragon, Daimyo of Oshu, from now until forever."

She looked away and said, "I know but… I don't want that sort of treatment…"

"Should've thought of that before falling for me then," Masamune said with a grin and kissing her again.

"Oh well, too late now," Rin smiled with a shrug as she reached her head up to return Masamune's kiss gently. Katakura cleared his throat awkwardly and Rin's face turned red again, "S-sorry… Katakura…"

Masamune grinned even wider, "_**Good job**_ Rin, you managed to forget a third party was with us for ten seconds while showing your passion. _**New high score**_!"

"Oh… Masamune…" she said wearily and smiling.

Masamune finally loosened his grip on her and stood up, pulling her with and she brushed herself off. "I guess I should go warn my sister that we'll be leaving soon then…" she said thoughtfully. "And my mother…" she muttered.

She hadn't expected the other two to hear, but they did and Masamune asked, "Do you want me to come with?"

She laughed and said, "No, it's fine. I think I'll be able to survive at least one more visit to my mother alone. And anyways, I still haven't really told her about Kaito yet and I think… That should be a private family matter…"

She looked away as she wondered what she would say. _Hey Mother, I forgot to tell you the real reason why I came back a week or so ago with a broken arm and half-dead daimyo. It's because Big Brother Kaito has decided his life-long dream was to be a mass murderer! He thinks he can finally defeat evil by killing everyone, isn't his plan great?_

She shook her head in disgust. How was she going to lie this down without hurting her mother any more than she already had? The death of their father was enough to totally change her, so what would the news of her children fighting to kill each other do? Maybe she might as well just skip it entirely but… She would find out sooner or later even if Rin didn't tell her and if she didn't tell her mother now, Rin could bet her life she'll be hurt even more when she found out.

_Mother may be cold, but she's not heartless… Some part of her still cares for her children, right? _Rin ran a hand through her short hair nervously. _But what will happen if I tell her?_

"_**Yo**_, Rin. _**You doing okay**_?" Date's voice cut through Rin's thoughts and she looked up with a smile.

"You know, on second thought… Maybe I will need your help. I'm not sure if I can relay the news all by myself… Will you help me?"

"Sure," he said, smiling, "And I'm sorry I can't offer you much sympathy towards your brother…" He looked away as he thought about his own brother, a distant memory now… _It was… A long time ago… And it's all behind me now. _He thought, only feeling somewhat guilty for his death.

Rin smiled sadly, "It's fine… As a mercenary, you should always expect the least likely of enemies if you don't want to be hurt any more than necessary…" They both looked down, unsure of how to drag each other out of the depression they had just thrown themselves in, and with a sigh Rin finally said, "Alright, let's go."

She broke away from Masamune's hold and started walking but paused and turned back to face Kojuro, "Ah, Katakura… Could you get my sister and meet us at the meeting hall? Tell her it's important… Please…"

Kojuro bowed and said, "I'm on it."

Masamune and Rin walked on in silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. Suddenly something hit Date mentally and he asked, "Hey Rin, I just noticed, you aren't speaking English as much as you did before, why is that?"

They stopped walking and Rin answered slowly, "Well... I figure that there's only enough room for one crazy English speaker in the Date Clan, and since I'll be a part of it soon, I might as well give it up…" She grinned and added, "Time to grow up, I guess."

Masamune laughed and said, "So you think it's childish?"

Rin laughed too and patted his cheek, "Yes, but it's okay for you because you're naturally that way." She grinned and started walking off again.

"Hey!" Masamune yelled back, catching up to her as the sort-of insult hit him, "I'm not that childish…" He pouted to prove his point and then grinned when Rin laughed.

"Oh yeah Masamune, you're _definitely _not a child," she said sarcastically. He laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm glad we agree," he said with a chuckle.

* * *

An hour later the two found themselves sitting quietly in the same room they were in to get Ayaka's approval of their marriage and in a very tense moment.

Ayaka sat at the front in seiza, sitting calmly and proudly and Rin sat similarly not too far away with much less the calm and pride as her mother. Hotaru sat a little further back from Rin and Masamune and Kojuro sat together on the sidelines closest to the door.

"Mother… I … Came to say that… Um…" Rin fumbled as she searched for the right words to say. She looked down. She looked to the side. She looked at her dancing hands… Anywhere where her mother wasn't. "Big Brother Kaito… Is… Ah…"

Ayaka Kazehaya's mouth thinned into a straight line and she finally cut in, "I know… Daughter. The reason you came back in such a condition last week was because of Kaito, correct?"

Rin blinked a few times. What? Her mother already knew what was going on? "H-How did you kno-?"

"Call it a Mother's Intuition…" Ayaka said sadly. Her mask portrayed no emotion, but from the look in her eyes and sound of her voice Rin knew this was cutting her mother up inside.

"You mean Big Brother is the cause of all those villages?" Hotaru cried, perking up from where she was. Rin wouldn't turn back to face her as she nodded sadly.

"So the news of the massacres has already reached you…" Rin said, stating the obvious.

Ayaka nodded, "Oshu messengers are fast with the news these days… I'm sure many villages have heard what's going on already, and more. The news has traveled to other parts of the Land of Rising Sun because he hasn't only struck Oshu… Oh… My dear boy Kaito… What have you done?..." She put a hand to her forehead and looked down, shaking her head as if to rid herself of her thoughts.

"Mother… I…" Rin looked away as she said, "I… Wish to have permission to stop him. Er... Kill him, really..." She bit her lip as her mother turned her gaze back on her daughter and she said hurriedly, "I know I've already tried last week, and that I really don't need permission to stop something this evil, but he _is_ your son _and_ my brother and… I just want… The knowledge that this decision is the right one. That I'm doing something good by stopping him."

The air was still and Ayaka Kazehaya didn't answer right away. Rin's breath hitched in her chest and she tried releasing it but had no such luck. She looked down.

"Big Sister…" Hotaru mumbled, looking at Rin from the back sadly. Kojuro and Masamune watched the spectacle quietly, and Rin finally calmed her breathing with a gulp.

She looked up and met her mother's gaze which stared right back. "Mother...?" Rin asked hesitantly.

Finally Ayaka sighed and said, "He was always such a sweet little boy… He always spoke of putting a stop to the war, 'like daddy' he would say… To protect his sister, Rin, and his other sister, Hotaru who still had yet to emerge…" Although no one could see it from behind her mask, Ayaka smiled faintly and she closed her eyes slowly. "Yes… Always a wonderful boy… And I know you think he was my favorite because he looked like your father in almost every sense, but it was also because of how mature his decisions seemed… And how much he cared for his family…

"I was angry when he took you and Hotaru to the other side of town…" She continued, "But at the same time I was glad because I was aware of the pain I caused in my grief over your father. His leaving woke me up and told me that I had changed… And I finally noticed how ugly I had become."

Ayaka touched her mask on the cheek and said gently, "It's why I donned this mask. Because my personality had become so twisted and disgusting, you never really got to see the real me anymore and I decided that I must wear this mask, this emotionless lump of clay formed to fit my face, until I could finally show my true face again."

"Mother…" Rin said quietly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She had no idea how much pain her mother had gone through… How desperate she was for her husband… Yes… Now Rin understood why her Mother had asked her to "not become like her" when she finally gave her consent to marry Masamune. She was only worried how his possible death would impact her. And as the daimyo, he'd naturally have many enemies, much more than a common foot soldier would have normally, so his life was in an even greater risk than any. That's why she had been so harsh that one day...

"Please… Kazehaya Rin…" Ayaka opened her eyes quickly and shot her usual strong-minded look, "Crimson Shinigami! Bring back my son, the _real _Kazehaya Kaito, and not this imposter! I give you my permission to use any means necessary!"

Rin jolted herself, as if asleep and she smiled, "Alright, Kazehaya Ayaka. So long as you allow me to fight on my own terms, I will accept your request. I will bring back your missing son, Kazehaya Kaito."

"Yes, please bring him back safely." Ayaka smiled as she stood up and Rin did the same. They each reached out with their right hands and shook. Rin let go then and tried slipping away but Ayaka's hold stood firm and she pulled Rin into a tight hug. "Just be careful… Rin. Don't let him fool you, he is no longer the Kaito we once knew, no matter what he says..."

Rin smiled and held her back, "Yes… I am in your service now… Mother."

* * *

"Now that wasn't so painful, was it?" Masamune asked, moments later as they walked farther away from the meeting room. Hotaru was talking cheerfully to Kojuro several paces back but Ayaka had left long ago.

Rin smiled fondly, "No, I suppose not."

"Though I do have one question." He paused and Rin stopped to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"How can you be under her service when you're already in mine? Remember? You promised your body to me first. Plus, you're still in debt."

Rin looked at him incredulously and then laughed and teased, "Do I hear a bit of _jealousy_ in your voice Masamune?" She put a hand to her ear and feigned concentration, "Oh wow, that's a really loud vibe."

She grinned and said, "The dragon's definitely got a problem here. But where's your _Hannya _mask, Little Dragon?" She grinned as she poked his face playfully, as if really searching for a _Hannya _mask.

He grabbed her hand tightly and pulled her against his chest as he grinned back, "I'm only jealous because you pledge your body to so many people while still in debt to me."

Rin blinked a few times in confusion and finally laughed, "You know, I could have sworn we dropped all pretenses of me 'being in debt' to you a long time ago. We all know you keep me by your side because you want to and not because of something as petty as that."

He shrugged, "Maybe. Or maybe it's just because I want you to have my children. Speaking of which, you're going to do that when we're married right? You never did answer me when we were training." He grinned as the color rose in Rin's cheeks.

"Shut up!"

"Is that a definite yes?" He teased and Rin struggled to get away.

When she couldn't she sighed, irritated, and said, "You're a real creep, you know that?"

"Maybe… But I'm _your_ creep." He said, leaning down and kissing her.

"Weirdo." Rin said after breaking away. He kissed her again.

"Perverted old man." She countered. They continued on like that, Rin continually trying to offend him after he kissed her for as long as their breaths could hold.

"Just promise me something," Masamune said, before Rin could insult him again. Rin cocked an eyebrow up as a question and he laughed, "Don't ever promise your body to Takeda Shingen's army again, or more importantly, Sanada Yukimura."

She laughed and rolled her eyes, "As if I'd ever. I'm your wife now, and I will always remain faithful to you…"

He grinned and said, "_**Alright**_ then, Rin… Just make sure you produce good kids."

She slapped him lightly on the cheek and kept her hand there with another defeated sigh, "Lord of Perverts."

"No. The One-Eyed Dragon," he corrected, "Husband of the Crimson Shinigami. Remember that."

A/N: YES. This series is now sufficient. I finally reach ten chapters. :D -Remember how I said I like evenly numbered fan fics? xD-

Alright, so this is it.

THIS TIME, I swear to God on my life as a fanfic writer, this is the final chapter to this series.

I still wasn't able to end it with the _**bang**_I wanted, but oh well, at least I've set up my main idea for season two. Yes my friends, I didn't have it planned until now but I think the main idea of season two will be about defeating Kaito, coming onto terms with Maka, problems with Rin and Masamune's relationship, ect. (including the real events of that season, of course). I still don't have a title for it, but I at least have some ideas to use.

I definitely hit up the romance in this chapter, sorry about that... xD

Alright-o, some things to point out in this chapter:

* Hannya mask: I believe a Hannya mask is a type of prop/mask used in Japanese theaters and plays (called kabuki? I think?) to represent jealousy of, usually women and girls or demons, but also serpents and (maybe I'm stretching it a bit) dragons.

* In debt: Um... Yeah, you know... I'm really not sure when my idea of Rin being in debt was born or when it died, but I was reading some of my older chapters and sometimes it showed up and sometimes it didn't. ... I mention it here to kind of explain that it never really existed in the first place and was used as an excuse to keep Rin on the Date Army but. ... Feh.

* Rin's Engrish: I'm not sure why I had her copy Masamune... I'm really not because that wasn't the most creative idea on my part. Um... Well, I guess it was because I thought it was funny that he did that, and pretty damn sexy, but I feel the need to drop it suddenly. And so, Rin progresses into the world as an adult. ... I just wanted to redeem her character a bit, in truth. One crazy Engrish speaking character is enough for this show, right?

* Healing: Oh yeh, Date Masamune can heal from fatal life-threatening wounds in nine/eleven days. He's just that bad ass.

Ahhh... Oh, so I'm almost finished with the next chapter of _Tales from the Heart of a Dragon _but I'm very very _veeery_hesitant about posting it because it messes with my whole time line and I feel like I'm going to go to Hell for thinking it up in the first place. It's not that bad... Really... But my conscious says that I'm taking this story too far and too seriously, and am only fucking Japan's history more than necessary.

I'll probably end up posting it later. -sigh- I guess I've seen crazier fanfics, but still... Something about it just says, "NO. DON'T POST ME TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC YOU ATTENTION WHORE." Ah... We will see in the end though. Like I said, despite my guilty conscious, I'll probably end up posting it at some point, later if not sooner.

So, that about wraps up this series FINALLY, I thank you for reading this series to the end and sticking by me, and I hope I can get out season two soon!

ありがとう-ありがとう-ありがとう-ありがとう-ありがとう! ;_;

- Jackal

(Let's see if _you_ can heal from life threatening wounds in less than two weeks like Masamune can. -pulls out wakizashi-.)

* * *

Edit: August 10, 2012: The sequel is now out. I repeat, this series now has a sequel. :D You can find it titled _A Shadow and Her Dragon _on my profile. Again, thanks for all the support to everyone who faved and watched this fanfic, and I hope to see all your names again for the next one! I love you all. ... Seriously. ;_; I do.


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